- 7 lessons
- 0 quizzes
- 96 week duration
Lesson 6: Year
In this lesson, I will teach you six words about year: 今年、去年、来年、半年、毎年 and おととし.
Meanings and Readings:
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| 今年 | ことし | this year |
| 去年 | きょねん | last year |
| 来年 | らいねん | next year |
| 半年 | はんとし | half year |
| 毎年 | まいとし | every year |
| おととし | おととし | two years ago; year before last |
Pronunciation Patterns:
- 去年 and 来年 both contain ねん (year) but different prefixes
- The kanji 『去』 is N4 kanji, so in the N5 exam, its reading will be provided, or the whole word 去年 will simply appear in the hiragana form きょねん instead
- 半年 uses とし reading (alternative to ねん)
- おととし is a special native Japanese word (和語)
Example Sentences:
| 今年は日本へ行きます。 I will go to Japan this year. Kotoshi wa Nihon e ikimasu. 去年の冬は雪が多かったです。 Last winter had a lot of snow. Kyonen no fuyu wa yuki ga ookatta desu. 来年の夏に結婚します。 I will get married next summer. Rainen no natsu ni kekkon shimasu. プロジェクトは半年かかります。 The project will take half a year. Purojekuto wa hantoshi kakarimasu. 毎年京都を訪れます。 I visit Kyoto every year. Maitoshi Kyoto o otozuremasu. おととしの写真を見ました。 I looked at photos from the year before last. Ototoshi no shashin o mimashita. |
Mini Quiz:
Test Your Understanding! Answers are at the end of this lesson.
| 1.How do you say “last year” in Japanese? a) らいねん (rainen) b) ことし (kotoshi) c) きょねん (kyonen) 2.Complete the sentence: ______ 大学を卒業します。 I will graduate from university next year. a) ことし (kotoshi) b) らいねん (rainen) c) まいねん (mainen) 3.True or False: The word for “year before last” is written as 今年 in daily Japanese. |
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
- 去年 vs 来年 confusion: きょねん (last year) and らいねん (next year) sound similar – practice differentiationTip: Associate 去 (depart) with “past”, 来 (come) with “future”
Cultural Note:
In Japan, the year is often divided into 上半期 (first half) and 下半期 (second half) for business/education. The fiscal year starts in April, making 半年 often refer to April-September or October-March. Traditional calendars still reference 令和5年 (Reiwa 5) alongside Western years.
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(Answers: 1.c, 2.b, 3.False)