old man, old age, grow old
On'yomi (音読み)
- ロウ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- お.いる
- ふ.ける
About this kanji
The kanji 「老」 primarily means "old" or "to grow old." It is often used in nouns related to aging. A common compound is 「長老」 (ちょうろう), which means "elder," often used to refer to a respected older person. Another useful term is 「老後」 (ろうご), meaning "old age," which describes the period of life after retirement. You might also encounter 「老人」 (ろうじん), meaning "old person," or 「老人ホーム」 (ろうじんホーム), which means "retirement home." A key point to remember is that while this kanji relates to aging, it often carries a tone of respect when used in compounds.
Example sentences
老いることは避けられない。
Aging is unavoidable.
Meanings across languages
- English
- old man, old age, grow old
- Tiếng Việt
- người già, tuổi già, trở nên già
- 日本語
- 老人, 老い, 年を取る
- 한국어
- 노인, 노화, 늙다
- 中文
- 老人, 老年, 变老
- id
- orang tua, usia lanjut, menjadi tua
- th
- คนแก่, ความชรา, แก่ขึ้น
- es
- anciano, vejez, envejecer
- fr
- vieux homme, vieillesse, vieillir
- de
- Alter Mann, Alter, alt werden
- pt
- velho, idade avançada, envelhecer
Common compounds
- 長老elder, senior, senior monk
- 老後old age
- 老人old person, senior citizen, the aged
- 老人ホームretirement home, old people's home, senior citizens' home
- 敬老respect for the aged
- 初老past middle age, nearing old age, near-elderly
- 老朽infirmity (due to old age), decrepitude, senility
- 老衰senility, senile decay, infirmity (through age)
Words using this kanji
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.