何年
nannen
The English phrase "how many years" is translated into Japanese as 何年 (nannen).
何年 is used to ask about the number of years in a period of time. In casual conversation, the question particle か is often omitted at the end of the phrase. Note that if you are asking about someone's age rather than a period of time, you should use the word sai instead of nen.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the suffix 目 to the phrase results in 何年目, which changes the meaning from "how many years" to "which year of a sequence" (for example, "in your third year").
How do you pronounce it?
nannen
Did you know?
- The character 年 in 何年 is a logogram that originally depicted a person carrying a harvest, a visual link between the passage of time and the yearly cycle of agriculture.
- While 何年 asks for a duration, Japanese has a specific word 年越し for the act of spending the transition from one year to the next, often involving a special meal called 'toshikoshi soba'.
- In formal business contexts, asking 何年 about a tenure is often preceded by a cushioning phrase like 差し支えなければ, which means 'if you do not mind'.
Examples in context
- 結婚して何年？How many years have you been married?This sentence is useful for asking how many years someone has been married using 何年.Tatoeba #12383490 by small_snow, translation #2911961 by CK
- 入社して何年目？How many years have you been with this company?This sentence is useful for asking how many years someone has been with a company using 何年.Tatoeba #11559581 by small_snow, translation #10786846 by CK
- 彼女いない歴何年？How many years has it been since you've had a girlfriend?This sentence is useful for asking how many years it has been since someone had a girlfriend using 何年.Tatoeba #3593599 by tommy_san, translation #3593692 by CK
- 田中さん、日本に住んで何年ですか？Tanaka-san, how many years have you been living in Japan?
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are talking about their time living in Tokyo.
- 結衣 Yui東京に住んで何年になりますか？Tōkyō ni sunde nannen ni narimasu ka?How many years has it been since you lived in Tokyo?
- 蓮 Renもう五年になります。Mō gonen ni narimasu.It has already been five years.
- 結衣 Yui早いですね！Hayai desu ne!That was fast!
- 蓮 Ren本当にそうですね。Hontō ni sō desu ne.It really is.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 何年, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
