Japanese kanji 歳: age and the end of the year

The idea

歳 has 13 strokes; follow the linked diagram. The age counter is usually さい: 一歳 is いっさい and 何歳 is なんさい. 歳末 is さいまつ and 歳月 is さいげつ.

Examples

• 妹いもうとは十歳じゅっさいです。My younger sister is ten years old.
• 息子むすこは一歳いっさいになりました。My son turned one year old.
• 来年らいねん、二十歳はたちになります。I will turn twenty next year.
• あの子こは何歳なんさいですか。How old is that child?
• 歳末さいまつに家いえを掃除そうじします。We clean the house at the end of the year.
• 子こどもの成長せいちょうに歳月さいげつの流ながれを感かんじました。The child’s growth made me feel the passing of the years.

Watch out

二十歳 is usually はたち, an irregular age reading; do not assume every number simply takes さい. 年 is also used for years, but 歳 after a number counts age.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 一歳 in hiragana.

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   いっさい

   一歳 is いっさい: the sound changes before the age counter.

2. Write the reading of 二十歳 in hiragana.

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   はたち

   二十歳 is はたち, a special reading for twenty years of age.

3. Complete the word for year-end: ＿末.

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   歳

   歳 completes 歳末（さいまつ）, meaning the end of the year.

Use it today

Write 歳 using the diagram. Cover the table, read 一歳 and 二十歳, and make a sentence about an age.