Related words· 7 若者 is a casual, general word for young people of any gender, while 青年 sounds more formal or literary and often implies a young man.
少年 refers to a boy, usually a pre-teen or young teenager, while 青年 covers the later teens through early twenties.
青年 refers simply to a young person or youth in general, while 青年団 specifically denotes an organized local association of young people.
青年 is a more formal native Japanese term for a young adult, whereas ユース is the English loanword usually seen in compound terms rather than referring to a single person.
Show 3 more Show fewer 青年 usually refers to young men in their late teens to twenties, whereas 青少年 is a broader, gender-inclusive term covering early adolescence through young adulthood.
青年 usually denotes a young man or youth in a personal, everyday sense, whereas 若年 is a more abstract, formal term for young age.
青年 denotes a young man or youth as a person, whereas 青春 is the abstract period of life itself.
Word family· 13 fine young man; agreeable youth
handsome young man; Adonis
young persons' association; youth association
young persons' association; youth group
adolescence; youth
Show 5 more Show fewer young people; youths
man of perennial youth; man who never loses his youthful vigor
young literary enthusiast; literary youth
youth center; young men's training and accommodation facility
youthful ardor; rash impulse of youth
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Etymology Compound of 青 (sei, 'blue/green; youthful') and 年 (nen, 'year; age'). The character 青 is associated with youth and immaturity, as in the phrase 青二才 (aonisai, 'greenhorn').
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