Japanese symbol for “paleolithic”

旧石器時代

きゅうせっきじだい

Romaji: kyuusekkijidai

Paleolithic; Palaeolithic; Old Stone Age

In Japanese, paleolithic is 旧石器時代, read きゅうせっきじだい (kyuusekkijidai).

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 Paleolithic; Palaeolithic; Old Stone Age

Kanji and stroke order

旧

old times, old things, old friend

on: キュウ
kun: ふる.い、もと

5 strokes · JLPT 2

石

stone

on: セキ、シャク、コク
kun: いし

5 strokes · JLPT 2

器

utensil, vessel, receptacle

on: キ
kun: うつわ

15 strokes · JLPT 2

時

time, hour

on: ジ
kun: とき、-どき

10 strokes · JLPT 4

代

substitute, change, convert

on: ダイ、タイ
kun: か.わる、かわ.る、かわ.り、か.わり

5 strokes · JLPT 3

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
復旧	ふっきゅう fukkyuu	restoration; restitution; rehabilitation
旧式	きゅうしき kyuushiki	old type; old style
新旧	しんきゅう shinkyuu	new and old; incoming and outgoing
旧約	きゅうやく kyuuyaku	old promise; old agreement; old covenant
旧暦	きゅうれき kyuureki	Japan's old (lunisolar) calendar
旧来	きゅうらい kyuurai	traditional; from ancient times; formerly
石油	せきゆ sekiyu	oil; petroleum
宝石	ほうせき houseki	gem; jewel; precious stone
武器	ぶき buki	weapon; arms; ordnance
時間	じかん jikan	time
時代	じだい jidai	period; epoch; era

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.