他人の年齢
tanin no nenrei
The English phrase 'someone else's age' translates to Japanese as 他人の年齢 (tanin no nenrei).
This phrase refers to the number of years a person other than the speaker has lived.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 年齢 (nenrei) refers specifically to a person's age or years of age in a formal or objective sense.
Which one should you use?
In Japanese, there is a distinction between the words used for age. 年齢 (nenrei) is used when discussing the concept of age in a formal, objective or statistical context. In contrast, the word 年 (toshi) is more commonly used during casual conversation when talking about a person's age.
How do you pronounce it?
tanin no nenrei
Did you know?
- Japan historically used a system called 'kazu-doshi' where a person became one year old at birth and gained a year on New Year's Day, regardless of their actual birthday.
- In Japan, asking 年齢 (nenrei) is often considered intrusive or rude, especially toward women or superiors. It is common to use vague phrases or avoid the topic entirely to maintain social harmony.
- The word 他人 (tanin) in 他人の年齢 does not just mean 'other person' but often implies a 'stranger' or someone with whom you have no social bond.
Examples in context
- 他人の年齢を知るのは難しい。tanin no nenrei o shiru no wa muzukashii.It is difficult to know someone else's age.
- 他人の年齢を推測するのは失礼だ。tanin no nenrei o suisoku suru no wa shitsurei da.It is rude to guess someone else's age.
Example conversation
Two coworkers are talking about a privacy policy in the office.
- 蓮 Ren他人の年齢を勝手に調べてはいけないよ。tanin no nenrei o katte ni shirabete wa ikenai yo.You must not look up someone else's age without permission.
- 美咲 Misakiはい、ルールを守ります。hai, ruru o mamorimasu.Yes, I will follow the rules.
- 蓮 Ren美咲さんはとても慎重ですね。misaki-san wa totemo shinchou desu ne.Misaki, you are very cautious.
- 美咲 Misakiありがとうございます、蓮さん。arigatou gozaimasu, ren-san.Thank you, Ren.
