What does “nenrei” mean in Japanese?
Native speaker say “nenrei” to mean ‘age’ in Japanese – how old someone is. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word well as it is often used in the Japanese society. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “nenrei” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “nenrei”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “nenrei”.
- nenrei – 年齢 (ねんれい) : a noun meaning ‘age’ in Japanese.
Native speakers use this noun to say how old someone is in Japanese. So, its usage is very similar to that of the English noun, “age”, I think.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Nenrei in kanji
The kanji expression of “nenrei” consists of the following two characters:
- 年 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘age’ or ‘year’ in Japanese.
- 齢 : a kanji character used to mean ‘age’.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “nenrei” consists of two similar kanji characters. And the kanji concept is completely in line with the meaning.
When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “nenrei” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “nenrei” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “age” in Japanese
kanojo wa boku no nenrei wo shira nai – 彼女は僕の年齢を知らない (かのじょはぼくのねんれいをしらない)
She doesn’t know my age.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its possessive case, “boku no”, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after the noun phrase, “boku no nenrei”, to make the object in the sentence.
- shira – 知ら (しら) : one conjugation of the verb, “shiru”, which means ‘to know’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. In the example, this is used after “shira” to deny its meaning, ‘to know’.
This is a typical usage of “nenrei”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “boku no nenrei”, which means ‘my age’ in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “nenrei”
nenrei wo oshie te kudasai – 年齢を教えてください (ねんれいをおしえてください)
Please tell me your age.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- oshie – 教え (おしえ) : one conjugation of the verb, “oshieru”, which means ‘to teach’, ‘to tell’, ‘to inform’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “oshie” to make its te form, “oshie te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
- kudasai – ください : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. In the example, this is used after the te-formed verb, “oshie te”, to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “nenrei”. When we want to say “age” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’v explained the definition and meaning of “nenrei” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- nenrei – 年齢 (ねんれい) : a noun meaning ‘age’ in Japanese. Native speakers use this noun to say how old someone is in Japanese. So, the usage of this noun is very similar to that of the English one, “age”, I think. Both kanji characters mean ‘age’ in Japanese, so the kanji concept is completely in line with the meaning.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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