中ちゅう年ねん

ちゅ

う

ね

ん

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

middle age; midlife

Refers to the period of life roughly between 40 and 60 years old. Can be used as a noun or as a no-adjective to describe things related to middle age.

彼かれは中ちゅう年ねんになってから健けん康こうに気きを

つける

よう

に

なっ

た

。

He started paying attention to his health after reaching middle age.

中ちゅう年ねんの男だん性せいが公こう園えんでジョギングをしている。

A middle-aged man is jogging in the park.

Usage patterns

中ちゅう年ねんになるto become middle-aged
気きづいたら中ちゅう年ねんになっていた。
Before I knew it, I had become middle-aged.
中ちゅう年ねんにさしかかるto be approaching middle age
彼かれは中ちゅう年ねんにさしかかっている。
He is approaching middle age.
中ちゅう年ねんの危き機きmidlife crisis
彼かれは中ちゅう年ねんの危き機きに陥おちいっているようだ。
He seems to be going through a midlife crisis.

Kanji

中in, inside, middle
年year, counter for years

Related words

壮そう年ねん
壮年 emphasizes the vigorous prime of life in one's 30s–40s, while 中年 is a neutral term covering a broader middle-age range roughly 40–60.
初しょ老ろう
初老 traditionally meant around 40 but now often implies the onset of old age (around 60), whereas 中年 refers more squarely to the middle years of life.
中ちゅう高こう年ねん
中年 refers specifically to people in their 40s–50s, while 中高年 covers a broader range that includes elderly people as well.
ミドル
中年 is the plain, everyday word for middle age or a middle-aged person, while ミドル is a softer, often marketing- or business-oriented way to say the same thing.

Opposites

老ろう年ねん
老年 refers to old age, the life stage that follows 中年 (middle age) on the age spectrum.

Don't confuse with

中ちゅう高こう年ねん
中高年 lumps together middle-aged and elderly people as a single demographic term, while 中年 refers specifically to the middle-age stage itself.

Word family

Etymology

Compound of 中 (middle) and 年 (year, age). The reading ちゅうねん is the standard on'yomi combination.

年ねん

太ぶと

り

middle-age spread; weight gain in middle age

中ちゅう年ねん症しょう候こう群ぐん

mid-life crisis