去年（きょねん、kyonen）
- last year

The Japanese word 去年, read as きょねん (kyonen), means "last year" or "the previous year." It refers to the year immediately before the current one.

⚫︎去年、日本へ旅行しました。 Translation: "I traveled to Japan last year." ⚫︎去年の夏はとても暑かった。 Translation: "Last summer was very hot." ⚫︎去年の映画は面白かった。 Translation: "The movie from last year was interesting."

⚫︎去年 is used to talk about events or things that happened in the year before the present one. ⚫︎It is often used with time markers like seasons, months, or specific events to provide context. ⚫︎It can be used in both formal and informal conversations.

⚫︎去年 is typically written with the kanji 去 (kyō - to leave, past) and 年 (nen - year). ⚫︎The hiragana reading is きょねん. ⚫︎There are no variations in the okurigana.

There are no perfect synonyms, but here are some related words: ⚫︎昨年 (sakunen) - This is a more formal synonym for 去年. It also means "last year."

⚫︎今年 (kotoshi) - This means "this year." ⚫︎来年 (rainen) - This means "next year."

去年は新しい車を買いました。 ・Translation: "I bought a new car last year." ・Explanation: This sentence clearly states an action that occurred in the 去年.

去年の試験は難しかったです。 ・Translation: "The exam last year was difficult." ・Explanation: This sentence describes the difficulty of an exam that took place during the 去年.

The word 去年 is composed of two kanji: 去 (kyo - to leave, past) and 年 (nen - year). The kanji 去 implies something that has gone by or passed, while 年 refers to the year. Therefore, 去年 literally means "the year that has gone by."