Components

昔 means 'ancient' or 'old'

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Strokes : 8    Frequency: 905   JLPT: N3    Usefulness: 3    Study set: 3-19    Grade: 3   Intermediate lesson: 32    Beginner lesson: -   Begins 22 words   Used in 42 words   Used in 14 names   Component in 26 kanji (5 Jōyō)
Jōyō (常用)
On
   セキ   シャク
Kun
   むかし ancient
A Joy o' Kanji essay is available for 昔 - click the badge to download
Discover how calling something "old-fashioned" in Japanese can be an insult or a compliment. Learn to say that the recent past feels like ancient history. Also learn to say "I used to be a different person," "Hollywood isn't what it used to be," and "That was then and this is now." Find out how although 昔 can currently mean "decade," it once meant a time span as long as 66 years!
The essay is also included in the following Thematic Bundles
20
Concepts of Time
旬 昔 暦 頃
The sun, moon, and seasons are natural clocks, but time is also a construct. As this bundle shows, the Japanese divide time into units of 10 (days, months, or years), also perceiving 72 microseasons. Japan has observed lunar, solar, and other calendars, plus 60-year cycles and multiple era systems. For all this precision, people approximate time with "the good old days," "once upon a time," or "around the time." They also have a particular take on time when saying that a food is in season, "at your age," and "It's a great time" for a certain activity.
⿱   () together   sun; day  
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In the most useful 10,000 words in Japanese, 昔 is used 6 times, read 3 ways.
Across all words in Japanese, 昔 is used 39 times, read 3 ways.
Showing:
セキ : 5 words FIND ALL
0
noun
old days
(click the word for examples and links)
シャク (read as じゃく) : 3 words FIND ALL
0
noun
past and present
(click the word to view an additional 1 reading, examples and links)
むかし : 31 words FIND ALL
0
'no' adjective, adverbial noun (fukushitekimeishi), noun (temporal) (jisoumeishi)
olden days; former
(click the word for examples and links)
An additional 3 less common words include 昔 but the reading has not yet been categorized.
Henshall: 346 (originally: 1481)  Joy o' Kanji : 1481  Key to Kanji: 613 

Cascading kanji view

セキ   シャク   ancient; old   むかし ancient   
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ニチ   ジツ   sun; day   ひ    -か    
キョウ   とも together   
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