大昔(おおむかし)

おおむかし
noun
long ago, ancient times
time-general
1. long ago, ancient times, the distant past
Refers to a time very far in the past, much more distant than 昔 alone. Used both for actual historical/prehistoric times and colloquially for things that feel like a long time ago.
大昔(おおむかし)、ここは海(うみ)だった。
Long ago, this place was the sea.
そんなのは大昔(おおむかし)の話(はなし)だよ。
That's ancient history.
大昔(おおむかし)の人々(ひとびと)はどんな生活(せいかつ)をしていたのか、想像(そうぞう)するだけでワクワクする。
Just imagining what life was like for people in ancient times is exciting.

大昔(おおむかし) is an emphatic form of 昔(むかし), intensified by the prefix 大(おお).

Time scale

  • 昔(むかし): a long time ago, the past
  • 大昔(おおむかし): a very long time ago, ancient times

Usage

Often used in storytelling and history contexts. In casual conversation, 大昔(おおむかし)の話(はなし) ("that's ancient history") dismisses something as no longer relevant.

The classic fairy tale opening 大昔(おおむかし)大昔(おおむかし) is the equivalent of "once upon a time, long, long ago."

Related Words

Related: 昔(むかし) (the past, old times)
Compare: 遠(とお)い昔(むかし) (long ago)
general
Added 2026.2.20 19:22 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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