Readings: レイ (Onyomi), よわい (Kunyomi)
Meaning: age, years old
Phono-semantic compound. The radical 歯 (は, ‘tooth’) on the left is associated with age (e.g., losing teeth as one ages). The component 令 (れい, ‘order, command’) on the right provides the sound ‘rei’ and implies a sense of fixed order or count, combining to signify the number of years one has lived.
View JLPT N2 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 齢 is composed of 13 strokes. It begins with the ‘tooth’ radical (歯) on the left, followed by the ‘order’ component (令) on the right. Pay attention to the correct stroke sequence for each part.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 歯 (は) |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 13 |
| JLPT Level | N2 |
| Grade | Unassigned (Joyo Kanji) |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- レイ (rei)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- よわい (yowai)
Common Words Using 齢
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 年齢 | ねんれい | age |
| 高齢 | こうれい | old age, advanced age |
| 若年層 | じゃくねんそう | younger generation/age group |
| 学齢 | がくれい | school age |
| 平均年齢 | へいきんねんれい | average age |
| 定年年齢 | ていねんねんれい | retirement age |
| 高年齢 | こうねんれい | old age (often used in contexts like ‘high-age employment’) |
| 年齢層 | ねんれいそう | age group, age bracket |
| 高齢者 | こうれいしゃ | elderly person, senior citizen |
| 満年齢 | まんねんれい | full age (actual age, not traditional Japanese counting) |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 齢 | よわい | age, years (often poetic or literary, referring to one’s lifespan) |
| 若き齢 | わかきよわい | tender age, youth (literary expression) |
| 齢を重ねる | よわいをかさねる | to grow older, to age (often written with 年) |
| 齢八十 | よわいやそじ | eighty years old (archaic, literary way to refer to someone’s age) |
| 齢少 | よわいすくなし | young, of tender age (literary/archaic) |
| 齢を積む | よわいをつむ | to accumulate years, to age (literary) |
| 齢を取る | よわいをとる | to age, to get older (literary, common with 年) |
| 齢が浅い | よわいがあさい | young in age, of few years (literary) |
| 花の齢 | はなのよわい | the prime of one’s life, youth (poetic, literary) |
| 齢の功 | よわいのこう | the advantage of age, wisdom gained with age (rare idiomatic phrase) |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 彼はまだ若年ですが、リーダーとしての素質があります。
Kana: かれはまだじゃくねんですが、リーダーとしてのそしつがあります。
Romaji: Kare wa mada jakunen desu ga, rīdā to shite no soshitsu ga arimasu.
English: Although he is still young, he has the qualities of a leader.
Japanese: 日本社会は高齢化が進んでいます。
Kana: にほんしゃかいはこうれいかがすすんでいます。
Romaji: Nihon shakai wa kōreika ga susundeimasu.
English: Japanese society is undergoing aging.
Japanese: この会社の平均年齢は35歳です。
Kana: このかいしゃのへいきんねんれいはさんじゅうごさいです。
Romaji: Kono kaisha no heikin nenrei wa sanjūgo-sai desu.
English: The average age of this company is 35 years old.
Japanese: 彼は来年、定年年齢を迎えます。
Kana: かれはらいねん、ていねんねんれいをむかえます。
Romaji: Kare wa rainen, teinen nenrei o mukaemasu.
English: He will reach retirement age next year.
Japanese: この商品は年齢層を問わず人気です。
Kana: このしょうひんはねんれいそうをとわず人気です。
Romaji: Kono shōhin wa nenreisō o towazu ninki desu.
English: This product is popular regardless of age group.
Japanese: 高齢者の方々への配慮が必要です。
Kana: こうれいしゃのかたがたへのはいりょがひつようです。
Romaji: Kōreisha no katagata e no hairyō ga hitsuyō desu.
English: Consideration for the elderly is necessary.
Japanese: 国際的な書類では、満年齢で記載することが多いです。
Kana: こくさいてきなしょるいでは、まんねんれいできさいすることがおいです。
Romaji: Kokusai-teki na shorui de wa, mannenrei de kisai suru koto ga ōi desu.
English: In international documents, it is common to state one’s full age.
Japanese: 子供が学齢期になったら、学校に通わせます。
Kana: こどもががくれいきになったら、がっこうにかよわせます。
Romaji: Kodomo ga gakureiki ni nattara, gakkō ni kayowasemasu.
English: When children reach school age, they attend school.
Japanese: 自分の年齢を偽ることはできません。
Kana: じぶんのねんれいをいつわることはできません。
Romaji: Jibun no nenrei o itsuwaru koto wa dekimasen.
English: You cannot falsify your own age.
Japanese: 車の運転は、年齢制限があります。
Kana: くるまのうんてんは、ねんれいせいげんがあります。
Romaji: Kuruma no unten wa, nenrei seigen ga arimasu.
English: There is an age limit for driving a car.
Related Grammar & kanji list
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