Japanese symbol for “formerly”
一時
いちじ
Romaji: ichiji
one o'clock
In Japanese, formerly is 一時, read いちじ (ichiji).
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 one o'clock
- adv, n once; at one time; formerly; before
- adj-no, adv, n for a time; for a while; for the time being; for the moment; temporarily
- n-pref a time; one time; once
Written forms: 一時、１時. Readings: いちじ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “formerly”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 旧来 | きゅうらい kyuurai | traditional; from ancient times; formerly |
| 古く | ふるく furuku | anciently; formerly |
| 元 | もと moto | formerly; previously; originally |
| 嘗て | かつて katsute | once; before; formerly |
| 先に | さきに sakini | previously; before; earlier |
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 |
| 時間 | じかん jikan | time |
| 時代 | じだい jidai | period; epoch; era |
See also: Chinese symbol for “formerly”.
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.