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How to say 'Old' in Japanese | 老

Wondering how to say 'Old' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Old is 'Rou', written as 老 in Japanese.'Old' in hiragana is ろう.

    word

    Meaning

    Old

    Reading

    ろう

    rou

    Kanji

    Old, Aged

    Explanation

    The Japanese prefix '老 (ろう)' means 'old' and is used to indicate age or seniority. It is often attached to nouns to describe something or someone as being old or elderly. For example: old man「老人」(ろうじん). old age「老年」(ろうねん). This prefix is commonly used in formal or respectful contexts to refer to elderly people or things that have aged. It carries a nuance of respect and experience, especially when referring to people.

    Part Of Speech

    prefix

    Kanji JLPT

    N3

    Kanji Grade

    4

    Frequency

    4856

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Old, Aged

Words Related to Through the Kanji

This Word contains the Kanji 老 as well.

  • word

    老人

    Meaning

    Elderly

Learn the Word

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What does 'Rou' (老) mean?

'Rou' means 'Old' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.