Meaning of 老年
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- elderly
- old age
- autumn of one's years
How to use 老年
老年 is a noun for the stage of old age, and it often appears before another noun to describe things for older people, as in 老年人 (lǎoniánrén) elderly people. Example: 他的老年生活很幸福。(Tā de lǎonián shēnghuó hěn xìngfú.) His life in old age is very happy.
老 (lǎo) means old and 年 (nián) means year, so 老年 is the "old years" of a life. Think of the years when a person has grown old.
Common mistake: Learners often use 老年 to describe a person directly, as in 他很老年, but 老年 is a noun. Say 他是老年人 (tā shì lǎoniánrén) or 他老了 (tā lǎo le) instead. Also watch the tones: both syllables are not the same, it is third tone then second tone, lǎonián.
老年 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
老 lǎo · prefix used before the surname of a per… · 6 strokes
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年 nián · year · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 老年.
Questions about 老年
What does 老年 mean?
老年 (lǎonián) means "elderly; old age" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 老年?
老年 is made of 2 characters: 老 (6 strokes), 年 (6 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 老年 an HSK word?
Yes. 老年 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 老年 and 老人?
老年 refers to the period of old age, while 老人 (lǎorén) refers to an old person. You can say 老年人 to mean elderly people, which is similar to 老人 but a bit more formal.
Is 老年人 a polite way to talk about older people?
Yes, 老年人 is neutral and common in news and official signs, such as 老年人优先 (lǎoniánrén yōuxiān), priority for the elderly. In daily speech people also say 老人家 (lǎorénjia) to show warmth and respect.