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老ける (ふける) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
age ; grow old ; look older
Intransitive verb focusing on visible signs of aging, such as wrinkles, gray hair, or a generally older appearance. Often used when someone seems to have aged noticeably.
ふ
け
て
見み
える
。
He looks old for his age.
Written forms 老ふ ける Usage 100%
Standard kanji spelling for 'to age, to look old'.
化ふ ける
Rare alternate kanji; 化ける is normally read ばける (to transform). This spelling for ふける is uncommon and may cause confusion.
Kanji 老 old man, old age, grow old 化 change, take the form of, influence Similar words 年とし を 取と る 年を取る is a neutral, common expression for growing older in years, while 老ける emphasizes visible aging or looking older.
老お いる 老いる is a more literary or formal term for aging, often implying decline due to old age, whereas 老ける is more colloquial and focuses on appearance.
Etymology Derived from the verb 更ける (ふける, 'to grow late, to deepen'), with a semantic shift toward advancing age and visible aging. The kanji 老 is used specifically for the 'age' meaning.
