Key Facts
- 지난주 (jinanju) means last week.
- Part of speech: noun.
- Register: Neutral, standard word.
- Level: A1.
- Origin: mixed; 지난 is native and 주 is from 週 (week).
Last Week in Korean: What Does 지난주 Mean?
지난주 is a mixed-origin word. 지난 is native Korean and carries the idea of gone by, while 주 comes from the hanja 週, meaning week. It has one sense, last week, and a neutral standard register. It is a single word with no space, unlike the pair 이번 주 and 다음 주.
How Do You Pronounce 지난주?
Read it as three smooth syllables: ji, nan, ju. The ㄴ ends the middle syllable and the ㅈ begins the last, so there is no break at the join.
How Do You Use 지난주 in a Sentence?
지난주에 친구를 만났어요.
I met a friend last week.
Jinanjue chingureul mannasseoyo. Adding 에 turns the noun into a time expression, much like English in or on. The past-tense verb 만났어요 matches it.
지난주는 너무 바빴어요.
Last week was too busy.
Jinanjuneun neomu bappasseoyo. Here 지난주 is the topic, marked with 는. 너무 바빴어요 means it was very busy; in Korean 너무 often just means very, not too.
지난주 금요일에 영화를 봤어요.
I watched a movie last Friday.
Jinanju geumyoire yeonghwareul bwasseoyo. Putting a weekday after 지난주 pins the day down: 지난주 금요일 is Friday of last week.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 지난주에 | last week |
| 지난주 월요일 | last Monday |
| 지난주 주말 | last weekend |
| 지난달 | last month |
The list shows how the word combines: 지난주에 for last week as a time, a weekday name for a specific day, and 주말 for the weekend. 지난달, the last row, is the sister word for month and is also written as one word.
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 마지막 주 for "last week" / ✗ 지난 주 with a space
Correct: ✓ 지난주
Why: 마지막 주 means the final week of a period, such as the last week of a month. Think of a calendar: 마지막 주 is the bottom row, while 지난주 is simply the week before this one. And 지난주 is one word, so it has no space.
How Does 지난주 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How to tell it from 지난주 |
|---|---|---|
| 지난달 | last month | The same pattern for months, also one word. |
| 다음 주 | next week | The opposite direction. It keeps a space, unlike 지난주. |
| 이번 주 | this week | The current week, also written with a space. |
Remembering When You Met Someone
Two coworkers are checking whether a meeting happened this week or the week before.
Sora
지난주에 민수 씨 만났어요?
Jinanjue Minsu ssi mannasseoyo?
Did you meet Minsu last week?
Ben
네. 지난주 금요일에 만났어요.
Ne. Jinanju geumyoire mannasseoyo.
Yes. I met him last Friday.
Sora
이번 주가 아니라 지난주요?
Ibeon juga anira jinanjuyo?
Last week, rather than this week?
Ben
네. 지난주가 맞아요.
Ne. Jinanjuga majayo.
Yes. Last week is right.
지난주요 repeats just the time word with a polite 요 to check the detail. The full question is understood from the conversation. In the answer, 지난주가 marks the proposed time as the thing being confirmed. Neither speaker needs to repeat Minsu’s name once the person is clear.
Where Will You Hear 지난주?
지난주 is useful in work updates, appointment follow-ups and ordinary catch-up conversations. A coworker may use it to explain what was completed before the current week. A friend may use it to place a visit or a film outing. The noun is neutral; it fits a work email as comfortably as everyday speech.
In a news report, 지난주 places an event relative to the report’s date. If you read an old article, use its publication date as your reference point. “Last week” in that article does not move forward with the day you happen to read it. The same issue arises when you reread an old message about an appointment.
A Calendar Week or Seven Days Ago?
지난주 identifies the preceding week, rather than an exact number of days before today. 일주일 전 means one week ago and focuses on elapsed time. If today is Wednesday, something that happened last Monday was in 지난주, but it was more than seven days ago. When the exact appointment date matters, confirm the date too.
지난주 금요일 names Friday within last week. 지난주 주말 names that week’s weekend. The two-word shape is useful: the first part selects the week, and the second narrows it to a day or a part of the week. Put 에 after the whole phrase, as the existing Friday example does.
지난주부터 means “since last week” or “from last week”. 지난주까지 means “until last week” or “through last week”, depending on the event. These particles replace 에 because they identify a starting point or an endpoint. They do not mean that something happened on every day of that week.
Time Words for the Next Conversation
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 이번 주 | this week | The current reference week; keep the space. |
| 다음 주 | next week | The week after the current one. |
| 일주일 전 | one week ago | Measures time back from a reference point. |
| 주말 | weekend | Can follow 지난주 to narrow the time. |
The time expressions lesson helps you combine time nouns with particles. For a work update, choose the week first, then add a weekday only if the listener needs that level of detail.
Quick Self-Test
- Which expression focuses on seven days earlier: 지난주 or 일주일 전?
- What does 지난주부터 identify?
- When reading an old report, what date anchors its use of 지난주?
Show answers
- 일주일 전. 지난주 identifies the preceding week.
- A starting point: from or since last week.
- The report’s date, rather than today’s date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does 지난주 Mean?
지난주 means last week, the week before the current one. Add 에 to use it as a time: 지난주에 친구를 만났어요 means I met a friend last week.
Is It Written as One Word?
Yes. 지난주 has no space, but 이번 주 and 다음 주 do. The same goes for 지난달, last month, which is also one word.
Is 마지막 주 the Same as 지난주?
No. 마지막 주 means the final week of a period, such as the last week of a month. For the week before this one, always say 지난주.
How Do I Say Last Monday?
Put the weekday after it: 지난주 월요일, Monday of last week. Add 에 for on, as with any time word.
Where to Go Next
For the other directions in time, open next week and this week.