Japanese symbol for “elderly”
老人
ろうじん
Romaji: roujin
old person; senior citizen; the aged; the elderly
In Japanese, elderly is 老人, read ろうじん (roujin).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n old person; senior citizen; the aged; the elderly
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “elderly”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 年配 | ねんぱい nenpai | elderly; old; aged |
| 老い | おい oi | old person; the elderly; the aged |
| 年嵩 | としかさ toshikasa | senior; older; elderly |
| 年のいった | としのいった toshinoitta | older (person); elderly |
| 高年齢 | こうねんれい kounenrei | aged; elderly |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 老後 | ろうご rougo | old age |
| 老化 | ろうか rouka | ageing; aging; senile deterioration |
| 海老 | えび ebi | prawn; shrimp; lobster |
| 敬老 | けいろう keirou | respect for the aged |
| 長老 | ちょうろう chourou | elder; senior |
| 人間 | にんげん ningen | human being; human; person |
| 個人 | こじん kojin | individual; private person; personal |
| 人気 | にんき ninki | popularity; public favor |
See also: Chinese symbol for “elderly”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.