三 年 間(さんねんかん)

さんねんかん

noun

three years; for three years; period of three years

1. three years; period of three years

A duration of three years. The suffix 間(かん) emphasizes a continuous span of time, distinguishing this from 三年(さんねん) which can also mean 'third year.'

中学(ちゅうがく)は三年間(さんねんかん)です。

Middle school lasts three years.

I was studying abroad for three years.

This research took three years and a great deal of effort.

Adds the duration suffix 間(かん) to 三年(さんねん), making it unambiguously mean 'three years long' rather than 'third year.'

三年(さんねん): three years; third year — shorter form, can be ambiguous between duration and ordinal
三年生(さんねんせい): third-year student — ordinal, not duration

Related Words

general

Added 2026.6.6 13:04 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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