若わかい衆しゅ

also: わかいしゅう

わ

か

い

しゅ

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

young man; youth; lad

A somewhat old-fashioned or regional term for a young man, often used in traditional or rural contexts. Can carry a nuance of a junior member of a group.

村むらの若わかい

衆しゅ

が

祭まつ

りの

準じゅん

備び

を

手伝てつだ

っ

た

。

The young men of the village helped prepare for the festival.

あの若わかい衆しゅはよく働はたらくね。

That young lad works hard, doesn't he?

2

noun

servant boy; young shopboy; apprentice

Historical or traditional term for a young male servant or apprentice in a shop, inn, or similar establishment. Not used in modern standard Japanese for regular employees.

江え戸ど時じ代だいの商しょう家かでは、若わかい衆しゅが丁稚でっちとして働はたらいていた。
In merchant houses of the Edo period, young servant boys worked as apprentices.

Kanji

若young, if, perhaps
衆masses, great numbers, multitude

Related words

若わか者もの
若者 is the standard modern word for 'young person' or 'youth', while 若い衆 is more traditional and often implies a group or junior role.
青せい年ねん
青年 is a formal term for 'young man' or 'youth', often used in literary or official contexts, whereas 若い衆 is colloquial and somewhat dated.

Written forms

若い衆Usage100%
- わかいしゅ
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading わかいしゅ is the most common.
- わかいしゅう
  Alternate reading; less common and may be considered old-fashioned or dialectal.
わかいしゅう

Etymology

Compound of 若い (wakai, 'young') and 衆 (shū, 'group of people'). The reading わかいしゅう is an older or dialectal variant.