あなたの年齢
anata no nenrei
The English phrase "your age" is translated into Japanese as あなたの年齢 (anata no nenrei).
あなたの年齢 refers to the number of years a person has lived. While this phrase is grammatically correct, it is often more natural in Japanese to ask someone's age directly by using 何歳 (how many years old) rather than using the noun phrase あなたの年齢. For a polite and formal way to ask, you can use ご年齢はいくつですか？ Conversely, if you are speaking very casually, you might simply say 何歳？
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of anata (you), the possessive particle の (of/possessive) and 年齢 (age/years of age).
Which one should you use?
年齢 (nenrei) is a formal or technical term typically used in official documents, statistics or clinical settings.
How do you pronounce it?
anata no nenrei
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often over-use あなた (you) in the phrase あなたの年齢, but in natural Japanese, it is much more common to omit あなた or replace it with the person's name to avoid sounding blunt or impersonal.
Did you know?
- In Japan, the traditional way of counting age, known as kazoedoshi, considers a person one year old at birth and adds a year every New Year's Day.
- When filling out official forms for 年齢 (age), Japanese people sometimes use the traditional era name calendar instead of the Western year to determine their birth date.
- Because asking for 年齢 (age) can be intrusive, Japanese speakers often use 年上 (older) or 年下 (younger) to establish social hierarchy without needing a specific number.
Examples in context
- これは私があなたの年齢の時に使っていたサングラスだ。These are the sunglasses I used when I was your age.This example shows how to use あなたの年齢 to compare a past object to someone's current age.Tatoeba #10905979 by SomeHungryBois, translation #8303911 by Amastan
- あなたの年齢は何歳ですか。What is your age?This example demonstrates how to ask someone for their age using あなたの年齢.Tatoeba #233058 by mookeee, translation #389935 by blay_paul
- 私は２６歳です。I am 26 years old.
- あなたの年齢を教えてください。Anata no nenrei o oshiete kudasai.Please tell me your age.
Example conversation
Ren and Himari are talking about a registration form.
- 蓮 Renここにあなたの年齢を書いてください。koko ni anata no nenrei o kaite kudasai.Please write your age here.
- 陽葵 Himariわかりました。ペンを貸してください。wakarimashita. pen o kashite kudasai.I understand. Please lend me a pen.
- 蓮 Renはい、どうぞ。hai, douzo.Here you go.
- 陽葵 Himariありがとうございます。arigatou gozaimasu.Thank you very much.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
