老

音読おんよみ: ロウ

訓読くんよみ: おいる、ふける

画数かくすう: 6 strokes

部首ぶしゅ: 老（おいかんむり）

Meaning

Old — often used to describe age, elders, or to express the concept of aging or growing old.

  • 老化ろうか — aging
  • 老人ろうじん — old person
  • 老後ろうご — after retirement
  • 老舗しにせ — long-established shop
  • 敬老けいろう — respect for the elderly
  • 不老ふろう — agelessness
  • 老ふける — to age / to grow old in appearance

The kanji 老 is based on the image of a person with long hair and a cane — a classical representation of age and wisdom in many cultures.

In Japanese, it often appears in respectful or formal words about aging, wisdom, or long-standing institutions.

彼かれは 老おいても 元気げんきです。
He is still healthy even in old age.

祖母そぼは 年としを取とって 老ふけました。
My grandmother aged visibly over the years.

“ふける” is used to describe someone looking older or aged. It often refers to appearance rather than age alone.

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