Eras, rulers, wars and the traces they left behind.
History is read far more than it is talked about, so this list is heavy with kanji. Japanese divides its own past into eras named after the seat of power or the reign — 江戸時代, 明治時代 — and history in general into 古代, 中世, 近代 and 現代. The trap is 近代: it is "modern" as a period that began more than a century ago, while the world you live in now is 現代.
The words
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Verb (2)
滅びるto fall; to die outVerbN2
その王国は、長く続いた内乱によって滅びた。That kingdom fell after a long civil war.
Of states, peoples and species; a person does not 滅びる.
栄えるto flourish; to prosperVerbN2
この港は昔、貿易で栄えた。This port once prospered on trade.
Noun (39)
元号era nameNounN2
日本では、西暦と並んで元号も使われている。In Japan, era names are used alongside the Western calendar.
Also called 年号; 明治 and 昭和 are era names.
時代era; period; the timesNounN3
時代が変われば、常識も変わる。When the times change, so does common sense.
戦争warNounN3
祖母は戦争の話をほとんどしなかった。My grandmother hardly ever talked about the war.
文明civilisationNounN2
古代の文明の多くは大きな川のそばで生まれた。Many of the ancient civilisations arose beside great rivers.
王kingNounN2
その王は若くして国を治めることになった。That king came to rule the country while still young.
A queen is 女王; in fairy tales the king is usually 王様.
遺跡ruins; archaeological siteNounN2
工事の途中で、古い遺跡が見つかった。Old ruins were found in the middle of the building work.
古代ancient times; antiquityNounN2
古代ローマの道は、今も一部が残っている。Parts of the ancient Roman roads survive to this day.
中世the Middle AgesNounN2
中世のヨーロッパでは、教会が大きな力を持っていた。In medieval Europe the Church held great power.
近代the modern periodNounN2
日本の近代は明治時代に始まったとされる。Japan's modern period is generally said to begin in the Meiji era.
A historical period; the present-day world is 現代.
現代the present day; contemporaryNounN3
現代の若者は手紙をあまり書かない。Young people today seldom write letters.
世紀centuryNounN3
この橋は十九世紀の終わりに造られた。This bridge was built at the end of the nineteenth century.
年代decade; age; periodNounN2
この歌は80年代に流行った。This song was a hit in the eighties.
Also an age group: 同じ年代の人, people of the same generation.
皇帝emperorNounN2
ナポレオンは自ら皇帝の位についた。Napoleon made himself emperor.
An emperor elsewhere; Japan's emperor is 天皇.
天皇the Emperor of JapanNounN2
天皇の誕生日は国民の祝日になっている。The Emperor's birthday is a national holiday.
武士samurai; warriorNounN2
江戸時代の武士は、刀を二本差して歩いていた。In the Edo period, samurai went about with two swords at their belt.
The usual word in history writing; 侍 is narrower and more romantic.
城下町castle townNounN2
この町は江戸時代に城下町として栄えた。This town flourished as a castle town in the Edo period.
Note the reading じょう; the castle on its own is 城.
将軍shogun; generalNounN2
江戸時代、政治の実権を握っていたのは、天皇ではなく将軍だった。In the Edo period, real political power lay not with the emperor but with the shogun.
革命revolutionNounN2
産業革命によって、人々の働き方は大きく変わった。The Industrial Revolution changed the way people worked.
独立independenceNounN2
その国は長い戦いの末に独立を果たした。After a long struggle, the country won its independence.
Also a verb: 独立する, which is also used for leaving home or starting your own business.
植民地colonyNounN2
この国はかつてイギリスの植民地だった。This country was once a British colony.
帝国empireNounN2
ローマ帝国は地中海を囲むように広がっていた。The Roman Empire stretched all the way round the Mediterranean.
支配rule; control; dominationNounN2
その地域は長い間、外国の支配を受けていた。For a long time the region was under foreign rule.
Also a verb: 支配する.
征服conquestNounN2
彼は周りの国を次々に征服していった。He conquered the surrounding countries one after another.
Also a verb: 征服する.
統一unificationNounN2
国が統一されるまで、各地で争いが続いた。Until the country was unified, fighting went on everywhere.
Also a verb: 統一する, and in everyday use "to make uniform".
侵略invasion; aggressionNounN2
城壁は外からの侵略を防ぐために築かれた。The city walls were built to keep out invaders.
発掘excavationNounN2
発掘調査で、二千年前の土器が出てきた。The excavation turned up pottery from two thousand years ago.
Also a verb: 発掘する.
考古学archaeologyNounN2
子供のころから考古学に興味があった。I have been interested in archaeology since I was a child.
史料historical sourcesNounN2
その時代の史料はほとんど残っていない。Hardly any sources from that period survive.
Same sound as 資料, materials in general; 史料 is the historian's word.
文献written sources; literatureNounN2
古い文献によると、ここにはかつて大きな寺があったという。According to old records, a large temple once stood here.
伝説legendNounN2
この山には鬼が住んでいたという伝説が残っている。There is a legend that an ogre once lived on this mountain.
英雄heroNounN2
彼は国を救った英雄として、今も語り継がれている。He is still remembered as the hero who saved the country.
子孫descendantNounN2
彼は有名な武将の子孫だそうだ。Apparently he is descended from a famous warlord.
祖先ancestorNounN2
人類の祖先はアフリカで生まれたと考えられている。The ancestors of humankind are thought to have come from Africa.
A family's own forebears are usually ご先祖.
遺産heritage; inheritanceNounN2
この神社は世界遺産に登録されている。This shrine is a World Heritage Site.
Also money or property left by someone who has died.
当時at that time; in those daysNounN3
当時はまだ電話のある家が少なかった。In those days few homes had a telephone yet.
起源originNounN2
将棋の起源は古代インドにあるとされる。Shogi is said to have its origins in ancient India.
貴族aristocrat; the nobilityNounN2
平安時代の貴族にとって、和歌を詠むことは教養の一つだった。For the nobles of the Heian period, composing poems was part of being cultivated.
身分social standing; rankNounN2
江戸時代には厳しい身分の区別があった。In the Edo period there were strict divisions of rank.
Also identity on paper: 身分証明書, an ID card.
鎖国national isolationNounN2
鎖国の間も、オランダとの貿易は続いていた。Even during the years of isolation, trade with the Netherlands went on.
A later name for the Edo-period policy of closing the country; trade never stopped entirely.
This list belongs to Society, news and history — six lists and 241 words that can also be practised as a whole.
Practise this list
Multiple choice and gaps, drawn from exactly these 41 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.
