How to Say "Young" in Japanese

若い

wakai[β̞a̠ka̠i]

The English phrase "young" is translated into Japanese as 若い (wakai).

若い is an adjective used to describe someone or something belonging to the early part of life.

Meaning: belonging in the early part of life (adj)

How does it change in a sentence?

若い is an i-adjective. This means it can directly modify a noun or be used to end a sentence.

wakai

The word 若い shares a historical root with the word for 'fresh' or 'new', which is why it can be used to describe things like 'young' or 'fresh' greenery.
In certain contexts, describing a person as 若い can actually be a polite way to acknowledge their lack of experience without being explicitly insulting.
While 若い describes age, the word 若い is often used in the phrase 若い考え to describe someone who is 'open-minded' or has 'modern' ideas.

彼はまだ若い。
He is still young.
This sentence is useful for stating that someone is still young.
Tatoeba #110825 by bunbuku, translation #292861 by CK
彼は気が若い。
He is young at heart.
This sentence is useful for describing someone as being young at heart.
Tatoeba #2249894 by bunbuku, translation #295121 by CK
あの若い彼は誰？
Who is that young guy?
This sentence is useful for asking about a young guy.
Tatoeba #8678111 by bunbuku, translation #6033357 by CK
私の姪は若いです。
My niece is young.
彼は未熟だけど、いつか大成するでしょう。
He is young and inexperienced, but he will succeed someday.
182 more sentences on Tatoeba

Hiyori and Kenta are looking at a photo of their grandfather.

陽葵 Himari

おじいちゃん、まだ若かったね。
Ojiichan, mada wakakatta ne.
Grandpa was still young, wasn't he?
健太 Kenta

うん、この写真は二十代だと思うよ。
Un, kono shashin wa nijūdai da to omou yo.
Yeah, I think this photo is from his twenties.
陽葵 Himari

今の私より若いなんて信じられない。
Ima no watashi yori wakai nante shinjirarenai.
I can't believe he was younger than I am now.
健太 Kenta

本当にかっこいいよね。
Hontō ni kakkoii yo ne.
He really looks cool, doesn't he?

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏