我几岁
wǒ jǐ suì
In Chinese, the phrase "how old I am" is expressed as 我几岁 (wǒ jǐ suì).
The phrase 我几岁 is used when stating or asking about one's own age. If you wish to state your age specifically, you can use the pattern 我今年已经 X 岁了, where X is replaced by your actual age to say "I am already X years old this year."
How do you pronounce it?
wǒ jǐ suì
Did you know?
- In Chinese culture, the word 岁 refers to your 'actual' age, but traditionally, a person's age was counted from the moment of conception.
- The word 岁 ('years old') originally referred to a harvest or a year's crop. In ancient China, age was closely tied to the agricultural cycle of the land.
- When asking a child's age, Chinese speakers use 几 ('jǐ') because it implies a small number. To ask an adult's age, they switch to 多大 ('duō dà') to avoid sounding like they are talking to a toddler.
Examples in context
- 你知道我几岁吗？Do you know how old I am?This sentence is useful for asking if someone knows the speaker's age using 我几岁.Tatoeba #5583001 by grindeldore, translation #3826761 by CK
- 你可以猜猜我几岁。Nǐ kěyǐ cāicāi wǒ jǐ suì.You can try to guess how old I am.
Example conversation
Wei and Xiaowen are playing a guessing game.
- 伟 Wei晓雯，你猜猜我几岁？Xiǎowén, nǐ cāicāi wǒ jǐ suì?Xiaowen, guess how old I am?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你看起来只有二十岁。Nǐ kàn qǐlái zhǐyǒu èrshí suì.You look only twenty years old.
- 伟 Wei太年轻了，我其实已经二十五岁了。Tài niánqīng le, wǒ qíshí yǐjīng èrshíwǔ suì le.Too young, I am actually twenty-five.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen哇，你真显年轻！Wa, nǐ zhēn xiǎn niánqīng!Wow, you really look young!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
