1.
long ago; the distant past
A time far in the past. Used to refer to events, periods, or memories from a long time ago.
それは遠い昔の話だ。
That's a story from long ago.
遠い昔、この辺りは海だったそうだ。
I hear that long ago, this area was the sea.
子供の頃のことなんて遠い昔のことで、もうほとんど覚えていない。
Things from my childhood feel like the distant past — I can barely remember them anymore.
A phrase combining 遠い (distant/far) and 昔 (the past/old times). Functions as a set expression to emphasize how far back in time something was. Often used to begin stories or reminiscences, similar to English "long, long ago."
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 遠い昔の話 — a story from long ago
- 遠い昔のこと — something from the distant past
- 遠い昔に — long ago (adverbial use)
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- 大昔 — a very long time ago (single compound word; can feel even more distant)
- 昔々 — once upon a time (fairy-tale opening; more formulaic)
- ずっと前 — a long time ago (more casual, everyday expression)
- 古 — antiquity; ancient times (literary/poetic register)