young, if, perhaps, possibly

About this kanji

The kanji 若 primarily means "young" and is often used in contexts relating to youth or youthfulness. It can function as both a noun and a verb depending on the form it takes. Common compounds include 若さ (wakasa), meaning "youth," which refers to the state or quality of being young; 若干 (jakkan), meaning "some" or "a few"; and 若者 (wakamono), meaning "young person," which is used to describe youth in general. Another interesting compound is 若手 (wakate), used to refer to younger or junior members in a group. Note that 若 can also mean "if" in certain contexts, which makes it versatile in conversation.

Example sentences

• 若者の意見が重要だ。

  Young people's opinions are important.

Meanings across languages

English

young, if, perhaps, possibly, low number, immature

Tiếng Việt

trẻ, nếu

日本語

若い, もし

한국어

젊은, 만약

中文

年轻, 如果

id

muda

th

อ่อนวัย

es

joven

fr

jeune

de

jung

pt

jovem

Common compounds

• 若さわかさyouth, youthfulness
• 若干じゃっかんsome, few, a number of
• 若者わかものyoung person, youngster, young people
• 若手わかてyoung person
• 若しもしif, in case, supposing
• 若いわかいyoung, youthful, immature
• 若布わかめwakame (species of edible brown seaweed, Undaria pinnatifida)
• 若葉わかばnew leaves, young leaves, fresh verdure