10代
jūdai
The Japanese phrase for the tens (specifically referring to age groups) is 10代 (jūdai).
In Japanese, 10代 is used specifically to refer to a decade of life, such as a person's teens.
Meaning: plural of 'ten' (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
You can specify which part of a decade a person is in by adding suffixes.
How do you pronounce it?
jūdai
Did you know?
- While 10代 describes a person's age, the same character 代 is used to count the succession of emperors or shoguns. This frames a human decade as a mini-era or dynasty within a single lifetime.
- In Japanese pop culture, 10代 is often linked to the word 青春 'blue spring'. Together, they evoke a romanticized, fleeting period of emotional growth common in 'shonen' and 'shojo' manga.
- The character 代 also means 'substitution' or 'proxy'. Because of this, the same character used in 10代 appears in words for 'representative' or 'substitute', linking the idea of a generation to a placeholder in time.
Example conversation
Yui and Yota are talking about their childhood hobbies.
- 結衣 Yui陽太さんは10代の時に何が好きでしたか？Yota-san wa juudai no toki ni nani ga suki deshita ka?Yota, what did you like in your teens?
- 陽太 Yota僕はサッカーに夢中でした。Boku wa sakkaa ni muchuu deshita.I was crazy about soccer.
- 結衣 Yuiやっぱりそうですよね。Yappari sou desu yo ne.I thought so.
- 陽太 Yota結衣さんはどうでしたか？Yui-san wa dou deshita ka?How about you, Yui?
