Word
中古
Meaning in Englishused, secondhand
Animated kanji stroke order
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)