劫こう臈ろう

Meanings

long time; long years of service

Refers to a long period of time, often in the context of someone's experience or tenure. The term is somewhat literary and not commonly used in everyday conversation.

彼かれは劫こう臈ろうを経へた職しょく人にんだ。
He is a craftsman with many years of experience.
劫こう臈ろうを重かさねた味あじわいがある。
It has a flavor that comes from long aging.

See all 3 example sentences ›

Expressions

劫こう臈ろうを経へるbecome skilled through years of experience

Kanji

劫threat, long ages
臈year-end sacrifice, dried meat
臘12th lunar month

Related words

長なが年ねん
長年 is a common word for 'many years' and is used in everyday speech, while 劫臈 is more literary and emphasizes the weight of accumulated time or experience.
永えい年ねん
永年 also means 'long years' but is more formal and often used in written contexts; 劫臈 carries a nuance of seasoned maturity.

Written forms

劫こう臈ろう
Standard kanji spelling for this term.
劫﨟こうろう
Variant kanji form; the second character is an older form of 臈.
劫こう臘ろう
Variant kanji form; the second character is a less common variant.

Etymology

From 劫, a cosmologically vast period, and 臈, years of monastic seniority. The compound consequently denotes great age, long service, or a long passage of time.