noun
old person; the elderly
Refers to an aged person, often with a nuance of frailty or the natural decline that comes with age. Slightly literary or formal in tone.
年老いには優しく接するべきだ。
We should treat the elderly with kindness.
彼は年老いの身でありながら、毎日散歩を欠かさない。
Despite being an old person, he never misses his daily walk.
老人 is the most common and neutral word for 'old person'. 年老い is less common and carries a slightly more literary or sympathetic nuance.
年寄り is a common, somewhat plain term for an old person, sometimes considered blunt. 年老い is softer and more poetic.
Compound of 年 (toshi, 'year, age') and 老い (oi, 'old age, aging'), the nominalized form of the verb 老いる (oiru, 'to age').