過去

かこ

past

Also:one's past (that one would prefer remained secret), past (tense), previous life

What does 過去 mean?

過去 is a Japanese noun meaning past in English. It can also be translated as one's past (that one would prefer remained secret), past (tense), previous life depending on context. It is written as 過去 in kanji, かこ in hiragana, and kako in romaji. This word is part of JLPT N3 vocabulary.

Example sentence

私はいつまでも過去にこだわらないようにと心がけている。

I try not to dwell on the past.