先々週

せんせんしゅう

2 weeks before

JLPT N2

Character Breakdown

Understanding

The term means "two weeks ago" or "the week before last." It is used to refer to the week that is two weeks prior to the current week. This word is often used in casual and formal contexts when talking about past events.

Usage Notes

is a time expression that helps specify when something happened relative to the current week. It is more precise than just saying "last week" () and is commonly used in conversation and writing.

Common Collocations

  • (the meeting two weeks ago): used to specify a particular event.
  • から (since two weeks ago): to indicate a starting point in time.
  • しかった (was busy two weeks ago): describing conditions or states.

Tips

Avoid confusing with (last week) or (three weeks ago). The repetition of (meaning "previous") indicates how many weeks back you are referring to. This word is useful for clear time references in both spoken and written Japanese.

Example Sentences

The new project was announced at the meeting two weeks ago.

I was busy two weeks ago and hardly got any rest.

The weather suddenly got cold starting two weeks ago.