This is the 232nd most frequent Japanese word.
最近
"Recently" or "lately."
Here, "最近" acts as an adjective meaning "recent" to describe a group or category as related to the present time.
最近の学生は、スマートフォンをよく使います。
Recent students often use smartphones.
In this sentence, "最近" signifies the recent past until now, emphasizing the time frame during which the speaker's preferences have changed.
最近は、ポッドキャストを聞くのが好きになりました。
These days, I have come to like listening to podcasts.
In this context, "最近" means "recently" or "lately" and it is used to describe a time period that has occurred shortly before the present.