私の年齢
watashi no nenrei
The English phrase 'how old I am' is expressed in Japanese as 私の年齢 (watashi no nenrei).
This phrase is used to refer to one's own age.
How do you pronounce it?
watashi no nenrei
Did you know?
- There is a specific traditional way of counting 年齢 called kazoedoshi, where a person is considered one year old at birth and gains a year every New Year's Day.
- In Japan, it is common for people to avoid stating their exact 年齢 when meeting strangers to avoid immediate social categorization by age-based hierarchy.
- While 私の年齢 is grammatically correct, it sounds stiff and overly formal in conversation, almost like an official record. In most casual settings, Japanese speakers would use the softer word 歳 (sai) instead of 年齢 (nenrei).
Examples in context
- あの方は何歳ですか？How old is that person?
- おまえは幾つなんだ？How old are you?
- 彼は何歳？How old is he?
- 私は25歳ですI am 25 years old.
- 10歳ですI am 10 years old.
- 30歳だよI am 30 years old.
- 私の年齢を教えます。watashi no nenrei o oshiemasu.I will tell you my age.
- 私の年齢は秘密です。watashi no nenrei wa himitsu desu.My age is a secret.
Example conversation
A woman and a man are talking about personal details at a social gathering.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮さんは、失礼ですが、おいくつですか？ren-san wa, shitsurei desu ga, oikutsu desu ka?Ren, excuse me, but how old are you?
- 蓮 Ren私の年齢は、言いたくないです。watashi no nenrei wa, iitakunai desu.As for my age, I do not want to say.
- 美咲 Misakiそうですか、ごめんなさい。sou desu ka, gomen nasai.I see, I am sorry.
- 蓮 Renいえ、気にしないでください。ie, ki ni shinaide kudasai.No, please don't worry about it.
