noun, noun, used as a prefix, noun, used as a suffix
Used as a noun, prefix, or suffix to refer to old age, elderly people, or senior status. Common in compounds like 老後 (retirement years) and 老人 (elderly person).
I started preparing for old age.
Archaic humble first-person pronoun used by elderly people to refer to themselves. Not used in modern Japanese outside historical or literary contexts.
Caring for elderly parents is tough.
I, an old person, do not have much time left.
年寄り is a colloquial, sometimes slightly pejorative word for an old person, while 老 is a more formal prefix/suffix denoting old age used in compounds such as 老人 or 老後.
老年 refers specifically to the stage of life called old age, while 老 is a broader prefix/suffix meaning old age used in many compounds.
老 means old age, while 労 (same reading, different kanji) means labor or toil, so context is needed to tell them apart.
The kanji 老 depicts an old person with long hair and a cane, symbolizing old age. The reading ろう is the on'yomi, used in many compounds.
provision for the elderly; preparation for old age; supporting older people · spending one's old age in comfort; comfortable retirement · Yōrō era; Japanese era from 717 to 724
old age; advanced age
past middle age; nearing old age; near-elderly · age 40 (original meaning)
old master; venerable teacher · old monk; aged priest
presbyopia; age-related farsightedness
old age; advanced years
age-related deterioration; wearing out; expiration
senility; senile decay; infirmity of old age
perennial youth; agelessness
old body; aged person · elderly person
reading glasses; presbyopia glasses
chief minister (Edo period)
senior councillor; member of the shogun's council of elders
old soldier; veteran
elderly person with deep knowledge of the past; elder
old retainer; veteran vassal
old tree
experienced; veteran; skilled; expert
cunning with age; wily; crafty
old pine tree
elderly nobleman