만 나이
The English phrase "international age" is translated into Korean as 만 나이.
The term 만 나이 is used to specify age based on the actual date of birth rather than the traditional Korean age system.
What does it mean word for word?
The prefix 만 (man) indicates that a certain amount of time (in this case, years) has been fully completed.
Which one should you use?
The term 만 나이 (international age) is contrasted with 세는 나이 (counting age), the traditional system where a person is one year old at birth.
Did you know?
- In the traditional system, a person's age increases for everyone on New Year's Day, regardless of their actual birth date.
- The word 나이 shares a historical root with the verb 낳다, which means 'to give birth'. This links the concept of 'age' directly to the act of being born.
- Even though 만 나이 is becoming the norm, using the wrong age system when addressing someone can sometimes impact the level of politeness or honorifics used in a conversation.
Examples in context
- 스무 살이에요.I am 20 years old.
- 한국에서도 이제 만 나이를 사용해요.hanguk-eseodo ije man naireul sayonghaeyo.Korea also uses international age now.
- 만 나이로 계산하면 몇 살이에요?man nairo gyesanhameon myeot sarieyo?How old are you if calculated by international age?
- 서류에는 만 나이를 적어야 합니다.seoryu-eneun man naireul jeogeoya hamnida.You must write your international age on the documents.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing age requirements for a new project.
- 도현 Do-hyeon이 프로젝트는 만 나이 제한이 있나요?i peurojekteuneun man nai jeon-ini innayo?Does this project have an international age limit?
- 수빈 Su-bin아니요, 만 나이와 상관없어요.aniyo, man naiwa sang-gwan-eops-eoyo.No, it doesn't matter what your international age is.
- 도현 Do-hyeon다행이네요. 저는 만 나이 계산이 어려워요.dahaeng-ineyo. jeoneun man nai gyesani eoryeowoyo.That's a relief. I find calculating international age difficult.
- 수빈 Su-bin도현 씨, 저도 가끔 헷갈려요.Dohyeon ssi, jeodo gakkeum hetgyeol-leoyo.Dohyeon, I get confused sometimes too.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 나이, 만, CC BY-SA 4.0.
