若者
wakamono
In Japanese, "young man" is expressed as 若者 (wakamono).
若者 is used to refer to a person in the early stages of their adult life. Although it is often translated as "young man" in English, it is actually a gender-neutral term that can refer to any young person.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 若, meaning "young" and 者, meaning "person" or "one who does something".
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a group of young people, you can add the suffix たち to the end of the word to form 若者たち.
How do you pronounce it?
wakamono
Did you know?
- In traditional Japanese theater, such as Kabuki, the role of the 'young man' is often played by a specialized actor type known as 若衆 (wakashū), who historically represented a specific social stage between childhood and adulthood.
- While 若者 is gender-neutral, calling a young man 若者 to his face can sound slightly patronizing or distant, as it is often used in sociological contexts or by much older people.
- Japanese has a specific term, 若作り (wakazukuri), which describes the act of dressing or behaving like a 若者 to appear younger than one actually is.
Examples in context
- 彼は素敵な若者になった。He became a nice young man.This sentence is useful for describing someone becoming a nice young man using 若者.Tatoeba #102885 by bunbuku, translation #300808 by CK
- 彼はハンサムな若者です。He is a handsome young man.This sentence is useful for describing someone as a handsome young man using 若者.Tatoeba #111224 by bunbuku, translation #292460 by CC
- 彼はりっぱな若者になった。He became a handsome young man.This sentence is useful for describing someone becoming a handsome young man using 若者.Tatoeba #110340 by small_snow, translation #293346 by CK
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are discussing the changing trends of the city.
- 大翔 Hiroto最近の若者は、何を考えているのでしょう。Saikin no wakamono wa, nani o kangaete iru no deshou.I wonder what young people are thinking these days.
- 陽葵 Himari価値観が違うだけだと思いますよ。Kachikan ga chigau dake da to omoimasu yo.I think it's just that their values are different.
- 大翔 Hiroto確かに。若者の感性は大切ですね。Tashika ni. Wakamono no kansei wa taisetsu desu ne.True. The sensibilities of young people are important.
- 陽葵 Himari大翔さんも、そう思いますよね。Hiroto-san mo, sou omoimasu yo ne.You think so too, don't you, Hiroto?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 若者, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
