elderly person; older person
A polite, neutral term for an older person, often used in formal or respectful contexts.
Many elderly people live in this area.
Let's offer our seats to elderly people.
年寄り is more casual and can sound blunt or disrespectful; 年配者 is more polite and formal.
高齢者 is a more technical or official term for the aged, often used in statistics or welfare contexts.
Standard kanji spelling.
Variant kanji spelling; 年輩 is an alternative form of 年配.
Compound of 年配 (ねんぱい, 'age; older generation') + 者 (しゃ, 'person').