齢
age
Readings
On'yomi
- レイ
Kun'yomi
- よわい
- とし
Meaning
齢 centers on the concept of age, specifically the number of years a person or living thing has lived.
Most common words using 齢
20 of 104- 年齢ねんれいN3
age; years
- 高齢こうれいN3
advanced age; old age
- 齢よわい
(one's) age
- 樹齢じゅれい
age of a tree
- 老齢ろうれい
old age; advanced age
- 適齢てきれい
suitable age
- 月齢げつれい
age of the Moon; number of days since the new moon
- 学齢がくれい
school age
- 妙齢みょうれい
young (usu. of a woman); blooming; in the prime of youth; marriageable
- 馬齢ばれい
(one's own) age
- 高齢者こうれいしゃN2
old person; elderly person; senior citizen
- 年齢層ねんれいそう
age range; age-group; age bracket
- 適齢期てきれいきN1
suitable age (esp. for marriage); marriageable age
- 加齢かれい
aging; ageing; growing older
- 満年齢まんねんれい
age (expressed in the Western style of counting fully completed years)
- 高齢化こうれいかN3
aging (of a population); ageing
- 少子高齢化しょうしこうれいかN1
declining birth rate and aging population
- サービス付き高齢者向け住宅サービスつきこうれいしゃむけじゅうたく
housing for the elderly with home-care services provided
- 中高齢ちゅうこうれい
middle and advanced age
- 低年齢ていねんれい
young (e.g. young children); of few years
Study
Etymology
齢 is the modern Japanese simplified form of 齡. The older form combines 齒 (teeth) with 令, which likely contributes the sound. Teeth were traditionally used to estimate age in animals, giving the character its meaning.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 歯 means teeth, and the right side 令 looks like a person kneeling under a roof. Imagine checking a horse's teeth to determine its age—the longer the teeth, the older the horse.
Reading mnemonic
For レイ, picture a ray of light shining on an old person's teeth, revealing their age: ray -> レイ.