The most common way to say "last year" in Japanese is 去年 (kyonen).
In everyday Japanese, 去年 (kyonen) is used when talking about something that happened during the previous year. It functions much like the phrase "last year" in English and is commonly used in both casual and formal conversations.
Here are a few examples:
1. 去年、日本へ行きました。
(Kyonen, Nihon e ikimashita.)
Translation: I went to Japan last year.
2. 去年、新しい仕事を始めました。
(Kyonen, atarashii shigoto o hajimemashita.)
Translation: I started a new job last year.
3. 去年はとても忙しかったです。
(Kyonen wa totemo isogashikatta desu.)
Translation: Last year was very busy.
One thing I noticed while studying basic Japanese is that kyonen is often placed near the beginning of a sentence because it provides the time reference for the action being discussed. However, Japanese sentence structure is flexible, so the exact placement can vary depending on the context.
It's also helpful to learn a few related time expressions:
- 今年 (kotoshi) – this year
- 来年 (rainen) – next year
- 昨年 (sakunen) – last year (more formal, often used in writing, business communication, or news reports)
In everyday conversation, 去年 (kyonen) is usually the most natural and commonly used expression. If you're speaking with friends, classmates, or coworkers, you'll hear it frequently when discussing past experiences, travel, work, studies, or personal events.
Overall, if you're learning Japanese, 去年 (kyonen) is the standard word for "last year" and is one of the first time-related expressions worth memorizing because it appears regularly in everyday conversations.
Also Read: How to say please in japanese?
Tara Verma is a practising teacher and education content writer with over 10 years of classroom experience across primary and secondary levels. She holds a Master's degree in Education (M.Ed.) from Delhi University and a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) from Jamia Millia Islamia — qualifications that ground her writing in both pedagogical theory and the day-to-day realities of teaching in India. Her content covers exam preparation strategies, learning methodologies, curriculum guidance, student mental health, career counselling for students, and the evolving state of school and higher education in India. Her work has appeared on platforms including TeacherVision India, Jagran Josh, and Careers360, where she writes for students, parents, and fellow educators who need content built on actual teaching experience — not theory alone. Over a decade of working directly with students across age groups and learning levels has given Tara a practical understanding of how education content should be written — clearly, accessibly, and with genuine awareness of the challenges students and teachers face on the ground. She has taught 1,000+ students, contributed to school curriculum development initiatives, and published 250+ articles on education across digital platforms. She is an active member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) India. Across all her writing, every recommendation is classroom-tested, every insight comes from direct teaching experience, and every article is held to the same standard she applies in her own classroom — accuracy, clarity, and genuine usefulness for the reader.
