青あお二に才さい

あ

お

に

さ

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

greenhorn; novice; immature youth

derogatoryhumble (kenjougo)

Derogatory or self-deprecating term for a young, inexperienced person. Often used by older people to criticize youthful inexperience, or humbly about oneself.

あの青あお二に才さいに何なにがわかるというんだ。
What does that greenhorn know?

私わたしのような青あお二に才さいには、まだその仕し事ごとは任まかせられません。

A novice like me can't be entrusted with that job yet.

Written forms

青あお二に才さいUsage100%
Standard spelling. 才 is a simplified form of 歳, commonly used in this word.
青あお二に歳さい
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage; 歳 is the full character for 'years of age', but 才 is far more common in this expression.

Kanji

青blue, green
二two, two radical (no. 7)
才genius, years old, cubic shaku
歳year-end, age, occasion

Similar words

若わか造ぞう
Also derogatory for a young person, but 若造 is more about youth in general, while 青二才 emphasizes inexperience and immaturity.
未み熟じゅく者もの
Means 'an inexperienced person' or 'novice', but is more neutral and can be used in formal contexts, unlike the derogatory 青二才.

Etymology

Literally 'blue two-years-old'. 青 (blue/green) symbolizes immaturity or inexperience, and 二才 (two years of age) suggests a very young child, hence a callow youth.