Japanese symbol for “decade”
一昔
ひとむかし
Romaji: hitomukashi
an age (ago); a long time (ago); a decade (ago)
In Japanese, decade is 一昔, read ひとむかし (hitomukashi).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n an age (ago); a long time (ago); a decade (ago)
Written forms: 一昔、ひと昔. Readings: ひとむかし.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “decade”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 台 | だい dai | level (e.g. price level); mark; range |
| 桁 | けた keta | digit; decade; order of magnitude |
| 旬 | じゅん jun | ten-year period (in one's age); decade |
| 歳代 | さいだい saidai | decade (of age); -ties (e.g. sixties) |
| ディケード | ディケード dikeedo | decade |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一緒 | いっしょ issho | (doing) together |
| 一番 | いちばん ichiban | number one; first; first place |
| 一つ | ひとつ hitotsu | one |
| 一般 | いっぱん ippan | general; universal |
| 一部 | いちぶ ichibu | one part; one portion; one section |
| 一方 | いっぽう ippou | one (esp. of two); the other; one way |
| 昔話 | むかしばなし mukashibanashi | old tale; folk tale; legend |
| 大昔 | おおむかし oomukashi | ancient times; prehistoric times; the distant past |
See also: Chinese symbol for “decade”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.