noun
General noun for a calendar year or a period of 12 months. Used in expressions like 年に一度 (once a year).
See also: 年に一度
一年は十二か月です。
One year has twelve months.
年に一度、健康診断を受けている。
I get a health checkup once a year.
counter
counter for years; counter for grades
Counter used for years (e.g., of an era, age, or duration) and for school grades. Attaches directly to numbers.
彼は今年で二十歳、つまり二十年生きたことになる。
He turns twenty this year, meaning he has lived for twenty years.
私は小学校六年です。
I am in the sixth grade of elementary school.
noun
apprenticeship period (usu. ten years)
Abbreviation of 年季. Refers to the fixed term of an apprentice's contract, typically ten years. Rare standalone use; mostly encountered in historical or traditional craft contexts.
See also: 年季
昔の職人は年季が明けるまで独立できなかった。
In the past, craftsmen could not become independent until their apprenticeship period ended.
年季 is the full word for an apprenticeship term or a fixed service period; 年 is its abbreviated form, used mainly in historical contexts.
年度 refers to a fiscal or academic year, whereas 年 is a general calendar year.
The kanji 年 is a pictograph of a person carrying harvested grain, representing the annual harvest cycle. The reading ねん is the Sino-Japanese on'yomi.