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弱冠 (じゃっかん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word Freq. Frequency Top 100,000 Meanings 1
noun
twenty years of age
Refers specifically to the age of 20, the traditional age of adulthood in Japan. Often used in formal or literary contexts to indicate someone has just reached adulthood.
; early age
; tender age
Used more broadly to emphasize someone's young age, often in the pattern 弱冠～歳 for 'at the young age of ...'. Carries a nuance of precocious achievement or remarkable youth.
Written forms 弱じゃっ 冠かん Usage 100%
Standard kanji spelling; the first character 弱 means 'young' and 冠 refers to the traditional coming-of-age ceremony.
若じゃっ 冠かん
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage; 若 also means 'young' but this spelling is non-standard and rarely seen.
Similar words 若じゃく 年ねん 若年 is a more general term for 'youth' or 'young age', while 弱冠 specifically emphasizes the remarkably young age of a person in the context of an achievement or status.
二十歳はたち 二十歳 is the standard word for 'twenty years old', whereas 弱冠 is a literary expression that highlights the youthfulness and often implies precocity.
Etymology From Chinese 弱冠 (ruòguàn), literally 'young cap', referring to the ancient Chinese custom of a capping ceremony at age 20 to mark adulthood. The term was adopted into Japanese with the same meaning and later extended to refer to any remarkably young age.
