昔

mukashi

the past

昔はもっと忙しかった

I was much busier in the past

general

A time in the past, often referring to a distant or nostalgic period

昔話を聞かせてください

Please tell me a story from the past

Often used to evoke nostalgia or contrast with the present

Collocations

昔話folktale昔からsince long ago

The past was better

Often used to contrast with the present, sometimes with a sense of longing

From Old Japanese 'mukasi', meaning 'long ago'

Can be used both literally to refer to past times and figuratively to evoke nostalgia

和英辞典