年とし取とった

Meanings

noun-modifying (irregular)

Prenominal form of 年を取る (to grow old), used to describe an old person or aged thing. Often carries a neutral or slightly sympathetic tone.

年とし取とった犬いぬはよく寝ねる。
Old dogs sleep a lot.
年とし取とった両りょう親しんを大たい切せつにしたい。
I want to take good care of my aged parents.

See all 5 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

年とし取とった〈人ひと〉an elderly person
年とし取とった男だん性せいが公こう園えんでゆっくり歩あるいていた。
An elderly man was walking slowly in the park.
年とし取とった〈物もの〉something old or aged (e.g. an animal or object)
年とし取とった犬いぬが縁えん側がわで日向ひなたぼっこをしていた。
An old dog was sunbathing on the porch.

Kanji

年year, counter for years
取take, fetch, take up
歳year-end, age, occasion

Related words

老ふけるN1
老ける describes visibly aging or looking older than one's years, while 年取った is a neutral prenominal form simply meaning 'aged' or 'old'.
年とし老おいる
年老いる is the dictionary verb meaning 'to grow old', whereas 年取った is the adjectival prenominal form used to modify a noun directly.

Opposites

若わかいN5
若い means 'young', the direct opposite of 年取った which means 'aged' or 'old'.

Built from

年とし+取とっ

Written forms

年とし取とった
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
年としとった
Common variant with とった in kana; often seen in informal writing.
歳とし取とった
Uses 歳 (age) instead of 年; slightly more formal or literary nuance.
歳としとった
Mixed kanji-kana variant with 歳; less common but recognizable.

Etymology

Derived from the verb phrase 年を取る (としをとる, 'to take years'), literally 'to take on years'. The prenominal form 年取った is a contraction of 年を取った, used attributively.