Word
中古
Meaning in Englishused, secondhand
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Sentence
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Word context
What it means
In common usage, 中古 designates goods that have been previously owned or used, i.e., secondhand or pre-owned items, rather than new ones.
Main meanings
- Used or pre-owned status for items, frequently appearing in contexts like 中古品 and 中古車 to indicate non-new condition.
How to use it
Primarily used in retail, classifieds, and product descriptions to label pre-owned items; it functions as a noun or as a modifier with の, and is common in both written and spoken Japanese when discussing the condition of goods.
Variants and close terms
- 中古品 chuuko-hin: secondhand goods
- 中古車 chuuko-sha: used car
- リサイクル品 risakairu-hin: recycled goods
Composition
- 中 middle, center
- 古 old, former
- Together they form a sense of something that is not new, i.e., previously owned, hence secondhand goods.
Word class
Noun (名詞)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N3
中心
chuushin
center, core, main point
N3
日中
nicchuu
daytime, during the day
N4
中々
nakanaka
quite, considerably, not easily
N4
背中
senaka
back of body
N4
真中
mannaka
middle, center
N4
途中
tochuu
on the way, midway
N4
中学校
chuugakkou
junior high school, middle school
N5
教室の中
kyoushitsu no naka
inside the classroom
N5
古い
furui
old
Kanji