• 昔話むかしばなし — folktale
• 大昔おおむかし — ancient times
• 昔日せきじつ — old days, past times
• 往昔おうせき — olden days
• 今昔こんじゃく — now and long ago

昔 is a compound of elements that originally represented meat or flesh (⺼) and day (日), symbolizing something that is clear from the past. It came to mean "long ago" or "former times," often invoking nostalgia or historical context.

昔むかしは 山やまの中なかに村むらがありました。
Long ago, there was a village in the mountains.

昔話むかしばなしを聞きくのが好すきです。
I enjoy listening to folktales.