How to say "archaic" in Japanese

• 古風こふうCommon
  na-adjective, nounThe everyday choice: styles, manners, buildings or speech that belong to an earlier era. The nuance is often neutral or faintly charming rather than critical; this is the plain 'old-fashioned' word.
  私の母はははとても古風こふうなんです。↗

  My mother is really of the old school.
• アルカイック
  na-adjectiveThe direct loanword for 'archaic'. Less common than 古風, it has a learned flavor and suits discussion of art, culture or institutions belonging to a very early stage.
• アーケイック
  na-adjectiveAn alternate katakana spelling of the same borrowing, meaning exactly what アルカイック does. In practice it is a marginal choice: when you need the loanword, write アルカイック instead.
• プリミティブ
  na-adjectiveReally means 'primitive' or 'crude': choose it when 'archaic' suggests something rudimentary or undeveloped, such as tools, methods or technology. It is not the word for the purely 'old-fashioned' sense.

古風 covers the everyday old-fashioned sense of 'archaic'; 「プリミティブ」 fits when it implies crudeness or lack of development; 「アルカイック」 and 「アーケイック」 are direct borrowings of the English word itself.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 古風こふうold-fashioned
• アルカイックarchaic
• アーケイックarchaic
• プリミティブprimitive