Readings: サイ, セイ (Onyomi), とし (Kunyomi)
Meaning: Year, age
The character 歳 depicts a spear (戈) and a foot (止), symbolizing the act of ‘passing by’ or ‘going over,’ which evolved to represent the passing of time, hence ‘year’ or ‘age.’
View JLPT N3 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 歳 is composed of 13 strokes. It starts with the top-left part, then the lower left, followed by the right side. Pay attention to the order and direction of each stroke for proper formation.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 止 (とまる) |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 13 |
| JLPT Level | N3 |
| Grade | 1 |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- サイ (sai)
- セイ (sei)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- とし (toshi)
Common Words Using 歳
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 何歳 | なんさい | How old? |
| ～歳 | ～さい | …years old (suffix) |
| 二十歳 | はたち | 20 years old (special reading) |
| 歳月 | さいげつ | Time, years |
| 歳末 | さいまつ | Year-end |
| 歳入 | さいにゅう | Annual revenue |
| 歳出 | さいしゅつ | Annual expenditure |
| 歳暮 | せいぼ | Year-end gift |
| 万歳 | ばんざい | Banzai! (Long live!) |
| 長歳 | ちょうさい | Old age (literary) |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 歳 | とし | Year, age |
| 年歳 | としどし | Every year |
| 歳末 | としのくれ | Year-end (alternate reading) |
| 歳暮 | としのくれ | Year-end gift (alternate reading) |
| 歳神 | としがみ | New Year’s god |
| 歳月 | としつき | Years and months, time (literary) |
| 歳取り | としとり | Getting old, aging (noun) |
| 古歳 | こどし | Old year (literary, rarely used) |
| 歳晩 | としはて | Year-end (literary) |
| 歳旦 | としだん | New Year’s Day (rare alternate reading) |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 彼女は何歳ですか？
Kana: かのじょはなんさいですか？
Romaji: Kanojo wa nansai desu ka?
English: How old is she?
Japanese: 私は二十歳です。
Kana: わたしははたちです。
Romaji: Watashi wa hatachi desu.
English: I am 20 years old.
Japanese: 彼はまだ若い歳だ。
Kana: かれはまだわかいとしだ。
Romaji: Kare wa mada wakai toshi da.
English: He is still young.
Japanese: 歳月は流れるのが早い。
Kana: さいげつはながれるのがはやい。
Romaji: Saigetsu wa nagareru no ga hayai.
English: Time flies quickly.
Japanese: お歳暮の季節です。
Kana: おせいぼのきせつです。
Romaji: Oseibo no kisetsu desu.
English: It’s the season for year-end gifts.
Japanese: 今年で５０歳になります。
Kana: ことしでごじゅっさいになります。
Romaji: Kotoshi de gojussai ni narimasu.
English: I will be 50 this year.
Japanese: 何歳になっても、学ぶことは大切です。
Kana: なんさいになっても、まなぶことはたいせつです。
Romaji: Nansai ni nattemo, manabu koto wa taisetsu desu.
English: No matter how old you get, learning is important.
Japanese: このワインは１０歳です。
Kana: このワインはじゅっさいです。
Romaji: Kono wain wa jussai desu.
English: This wine is 10 years old.
Japanese: 彼とは歳が近い。
Kana: かれとはとしがちかい。
Romaji: Kare to wa toshi ga chikai.
English: He and I are close in age.
Japanese: 彼はもう歳だから、ゆっくり歩く。
Kana: かれはもうとしだから、ゆっくりあるく。
Romaji: Kare wa mou toshi dakara, yukkuri aruku.
English: Since he’s old now, he walks slowly.
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