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成年 (せいねん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Meanings 1
noun
adulthood ; legal age ; majority
Refers to the age at which a person is legally recognized as an adult. In Japan, this was lowered from 20 to 18 in 2022. Often used in legal and formal contexts.
、
親おや
の
同どう
意い
なし
で
契けい
約やく
でき
ます
。
Upon reaching adulthood, you can enter into contracts without parental consent.
Similar words 成せい 人じん 成人 refers to an adult person or the state of being an adult, while 成年 specifically refers to the legal age of majority.
未み 成せい 年ねん 未成年 is the antonym, meaning a minor or underage person.
Etymology Compound of 成 (sei, 'become') and 年 (nen, 'year'), literally 'the year one becomes (an adult)'. The term has been used in legal contexts to denote the age of majority.
