何歳ですか？
nansai desu ka?
The English phrase "what is your age?" is translated into Japanese as 何歳ですか？ (nansai desu ka?)
This phrase is used to ask someone how many years old they are. While 何歳ですか？ is grammatically correct, asking someone's age directly can be perceived as overly blunt or even rude in Japanese social contexts unless the relationship is established.
Which one should you use?
何歳ですか？ is a direct way to ask for age. For a more polite and indirect approach, you can use おいくつですか？ If you wish to be extremely formal, you can use the very polite phrase お年をお聞きしてもよろしいでしょうか?, which translates to "May I have the honor of asking your age?" For casual settings, 何歳？ is a simple and casual way to ask someone's age.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
おいくつですか? is a standard and respectful way to ask someone's age. For very formal situations, use お年をお聞きしてもよろしいでしょうか? In casual settings, you may use 何歳？
How do you pronounce it?
nansai desu ka?
Did you know?
- In certain traditional contexts, people might use 'rabbit' or other zodiac animals to indicate their age or birth year, which is a more subtle way of communicating how old one is.
- In Japan, the concept of age is tied to the 'kazoedoshi' system, where a person is considered one year old at birth. This means a person celebrates their first birthday on the New Year rather than months later.
- In many Western cultures, asking age is a personal intrusion, but in Japan, knowing a person's age is a crucial way to determine the correct level of polite language to use. You often need to know the age to even decide how to speak to them.
Examples in context
- すみません、おいくつですか?Excuse me, what is your age?
- お年をお聞きしてもよろしいでしょうか? 申し訳ありませんが、おいくつですか?May I have the honor of asking your age? I apologize, but what is your age?
- 何歳？What is your age?
- 失礼ですが、何歳ですか？shitsurei desu ga, nansai desu ka?Excuse me, but how old are you?
- お子さんは何歳ですか？okosan wa nansai desu ka?How old is your child?
- あの方は何歳ですか？ano kata wa nansai desu ka?How old is that person?
Example conversation
Yota and Misaki are meeting for the first time at a party.
- 陽太 Yotaよろしくお願いします。ところで、何歳ですか？Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Tokorode, nan-sai desu ka?Nice to meet you. By the way, how old are you?
- 美咲 Misaki私は二十歳です。Watashi wa hatachi desu.I am twenty years old.
- 陽太 Yotaそうなんですね。私は二十一歳です。Sō nan desu ne. Watashi wa nijū-issai desu.I see. I am twenty-one.
- 美咲 Misakiあ、陽太さんの方が一つ上ですね。A, Yōta-san no hō ga hitotsu ue desu ne.Oh, you are one year older than me, Yota.
