One English Word, Two Japanese Meanings: "Last"

Many of you might think "last" always translates to saigo in Japanese, right? But that’s actually not always the case.

How would you phrase these expressions in Japanese?

1. The last Sunday of July

2. Last Sunday

3. The last time

4. Last time

Here are the answers:

1. 7月の最後の日曜日 (Shichi-gatsu no saigo no nichiyoubi)

2. 先週の日曜日、前の日曜日 (Senshu no nichiyoubi / mae no nichiyoubi)

3. 最後（の時）(Saigo (no toki))

4. 前回 (Zenkai)

"The last" (saigo): This means "the final item in a sequence." The opposite word is "first" (saisho).

"Last" (mae no): This means "the one right before the present one." The opposite word is "next" (tsugi no).

Look at how the meaning changes in these examples about going to an onsen:

• When did you last go to an onsen? → Zenkai itsu onsen ni itta? (Focuses on the previous time)

• When was the last time you went to an onsen? → Saigo ni onsen ni itta no wa itsu? (Focuses on the final instance)

Let’s use the World Cup as an example:

• June 25: Japan beat Sweden.

• July 1: Japan lost to Brazil and was eliminated.

On July 1, before the match against Brazil, you could say: "Nihon wa mae no shiai de katta." (Japan won the last match.) Here, "mae no shiai" refers to the previous match against Sweden.

However, after the match on July 1, you would say: "Kono shiai wa nihon no saigo no shiai ni natta." (This ended up being Japan's last match.) "Saigo no shiai" means there are no more games left to play.

So, when translating "last" into Japanese, it’s crucial to figure out which "last" you really mean!