How to Say "Old" in Japanese - How To Say Guide

年老いた

toshioita

In Japanese, the word for 'old' when referring to a living being is 年老いた (toshioita). Wiktionary also lists 老いた (oita).

Meaning: of a living being: having lived for relatively many years (adj)

Ways to say it

“old” in Japanese
Japanese	Romanization (Wiktionary)
年老いた	toshioita
老いた	oita

This term is used to describe a living being that has lived for relatively many years.

Literally, it means 'years aged'.

年老いた is specifically for the age of living beings. If you want to describe an old object or thing, you should use 古い.

The form 年老いた functions as an attributive adjective, meaning it can directly precede a noun, such as 年老いた人 (an old person).

toshioita

If you use the word 古い (furui) to describe a person instead of 年老いた, you are not saying they are elderly, but rather implying they are 'outdated' or 'obsolete' like an old piece of technology.
When describing someone as 'old' in a positive or venerable sense, the word 古稀 (koki) is used, specifically referring to the age of 70 based on a poem by Tao Yuanming.
In Japanese culture, the 'old' or experienced member of a group is often called 先輩 (senpai), emphasizing their seniority and status over their actual chronological age.

彼は年老いた。
He grew old.
This sentence is useful for showing how to state that someone grew old using 年老いた.
Tatoeba #101336 by bunbuku, translation #302343 by CK
その探偵は年老いた紳士に変装した。
The detective disguised himself as an old gentleman.
This sentence demonstrates using 年老いた to describe an old gentleman in a disguise.
Tatoeba #208196 by bunbuku, translation #45453 by CK
彼女は年老いた母親の世話をしている。
She takes care of her old mother.
This sentence shows how to use 年老いた to describe an old mother being cared for.
Tatoeba #87576 by bunbuku, translation #316132 by sundown
彼は年老いた先生です。 (かれはとしおいたせんせいです。)
He is an elderly teacher.
高齢の方も安心してご利用ください。 (こうれいのかたもあんしんしてごりようください。)
Please feel free to use this service, even if you are elderly.
最近、年を取ったと感じる。 (さいきん、としをとったとかんじる。)
Lately, I've been feeling like I'm getting old.
最近、彼女はなんか老けたよね。 (さいきん、かのじょはなんかふけたよね。)
Lately, she looks kinda old, doesn't she?
7 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two siblings are talking about a story in a book.

陽葵 Himari

年老いた魔法使いが出てくるよ。
Toshi oita mahoutsukai ga detekuru yo.
An old wizard appears in it.
陽太 Yota

その魔法使いはどんな人？
Sono mahoutsukai wa donna hito?
What kind of person is that wizard?
陽葵 Himari

とても年老いた、賢い人だよ。
Totemo toshi oita, kashikoi hito da yo.
He is a very old, wise person.
陽太 Yota

面白そうな物語だね。
Omoshirosouna monogatari da ne.
That sounds like an interesting story.

Sources

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