Meaning

Primary

Common Era

Alternatives

Christian Era, Western Calendar

Word Type

noun

Explanation

In the west, a calendar shows the year according to the common era, aka the Christian era. You know, like 2025 CE (or 2025 AD) — we're 2000+ years into the common era.

This Western calendar differs from the traditional calendar of Japan, which names its eras for reigning emperors. The current Reiwa era followed the Heisei era, which came after the Showa era. Neat, right? On official forms in Japan, you can often choose whether to write your birth year in the Western or Japanese style.

Reading

せいれき
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

This is a jukugo word that uses the on'yomi readings of the kanji. You should be able to read this on your own.

Context

Context Sentences

昭和は西暦何年に終わったんですか?

What year in the Western calendar did the Showa era end?

Kanji Composition