年
nen[nẽ̞ɴ]
The Japanese word for year is 年 (nen).
年 is used to refer to the time it takes for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun. When counting a specific number of years, you use 年 as a counter. For more specific contexts, other terms are used: 年度 (nendo) refers to a fiscal or academic year and 年間 (nenkan) is used to emphasize a continuous duration of one year. When talking about years on the calendar, you may use the term 西暦 (seireki), meaning 'Western calendar'.
Meaning: time it takes for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 年 is used for calendar years or durations, use the counter 歳 (sai) specifically when expressing a person's age. Additionally, if you are describing a student's year in school, use the suffix 〜年生 (-nensei) instead of just -nen.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using this word to count a specific number of years, -nen acts as a suffix attached directly to the number. For example, to denote a student's grade or year in school, you must use the specific suffix 〜年生 (-nensei).
How do you pronounce it?
nen
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use 年 to express a person's age. Instead, use the counter 歳 (sai).
When do people say it?
At the end of a year, it is customary to use the seasonal greeting よいお年を (yoi otoshi o) to wish someone a good new year.
Did you know?
- Japan uses a unique era system called gengo where years are counted from the ascension of an emperor rather than a single linear calendar.
- The word for 'year', 年 (toshi), is etymologically linked to the concept of grain or a harvest. It originally referred to the food produced in a single cycle of growing crops.
- The Japanese academic year usually begins in April rather than September or January, which affects how nendo is calculated.
Examples in context
- よいお年を。Happy New Year!This sentence shows how to use 年 in a New Year's greeting.Tatoeba #192926 by tommy_san, translation #361350 by blay_paul
- 毎年行きます。I go every year.This sentence demonstrates the use of 年 to express an annual occurrence.Tatoeba #81243 by bunbuku, translation #322472 by CK
- 来年は卯年だ。Next year is the year of the rabbit.This sentence shows how 年 is used to identify the zodiac year.Tatoeba #2243192 by tommy_san, translation #684674 by notrwanda
- 今年 (ことし / kotoshi)This year
- 三年 (さんねん / san nen)Three years
- 一年間 (いちねんかん / ichi nenkan)One year
- 五年 (ごねん / go nen)Five years
- 二十年 (にじゅうねん / nijuu nen)Twenty years
- 私は２５歳です (わたしはにじゅうごさいです / Watashi wa nijuu go sai desu)I am 25 years old.
- 西暦２０１０年 (せいれきにせんじゅうねん / Seireki nisen juu nen)The year 2010 (in the Western calendar)
- 昨年 (さくねん / sakunen)Last year
- 来年 (らいねん / rainen)Next year
- 794 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Hiroto are talking about their future plans.
- 結衣 Yui大翔さんは、来年どこへ行きたいですか？Hiroto-san wa, rainen doko e ikitai desu ka?Hiroto, where do you want to go next year?
- 大翔 Hiroto一年かけて世界一周したいです。Ichinen kakete sekai isshū shitai desu.I want to travel around the world over one year.
- 結衣 Yui一年もかかりますね！Ichinen mo kakarimasu ne!That would take a whole year!
- 大翔 Hirotoはい、ゆっくり回りたいです。Hai, yukkuri mawaritai desu.Yes, I want to take my time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “year” translations and entries 年, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 年, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
