先週
senshū[sẽ̞ɰ̃ɕɨː]
The English phrase "last week" is translated into Japanese as 先週 (senshū).
先週 is an adverb used to refer to the week before this one.
Meaning: week before this one (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 先 (sen), meaning 'previous' or 'ahead' and 週 (shū), meaning 'week'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the particle は (wa) after 先週 (senshū) allows you to set 'last week' as the topic of the sentence, often used when contrasting last week with this week or other time periods.
How do you pronounce it?
senshū
Did you know?
- Although 先週 is a standard term, the concept of a seven-day week was not used in Japan until the Meiji era's modernization efforts.
- Japanese has a specific word 先々週 to mean 'the week before last', formed simply by doubling the first character of 先週.
- The character for 'week', 週, is derived from the concept of a 'cycle' or 'circuit', reflecting the repeating nature of the seven-day period.
Examples in context
- 彼らは先週来た。They came last week.This sentence shows how to use 先週 to indicate when an action like coming occurred.Tatoeba #8591431 by small_snow, translation #3259680 by CM
- 先週は雪でした。It snowed last week.This sentence demonstrates using 先週 to describe weather conditions.Tatoeba #10570974 by small_snow, translation #10570973 by CK
- 先週のことでした。It happened last week.This sentence is useful for stating that an event occurred during the time period of 先週.Tatoeba #11052293 by small_snow, translation #10187408 by sundown
- Senshū no shūmatsu wa kyōto e ikimashita (先週の週末は京都へ行きました)I went to Kyoto last weekend.
- 128 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a movie.
- 大翔 Hiroto先週、映画を見た？Senshū, eiga o mita?Did you see a movie last week?
- 陽葵 Himariいいえ、見なかったよ。Iie, minakatta yo.No, I didn't.
- 大翔 Hiroto先週の映画は面白かったよ。Senshū no eiga wa omoshirokatta yo.Last week's movie was interesting.
- 陽葵 Himariじゃあ、今度見に行くね。Jā, kondo mi ni iku ne.Then I'll go see it next time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “last week” translations and entries 先週, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
