Japanese symbol for “year”
年
とし
Romaji: toshi
year
In Japanese, year is 年, read とし (toshi).
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 year
- n age; years
- n past one's prime; old age
Written forms: 年、歳. Readings: とし.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “year”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 年間 | ねんかん nenkan | (period of) a year |
| 級 | きゅう kyuu | (school) grade; year; class |
| 年次 | ねんじ nenji | year (e.g. of graduation, joining a company) |
| イヤー | イヤー iyaa | year |
| 代 | だい dai | generation; age; (school) year |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今年 | ことし kotoshi | this year |
| 年間 | ねんかん nenkan | (period of) a year |
| 少年 | しょうねん shounen | boy |
| 年齢 | ねんれい nenrei | age; years |
| 年度 | ねんど nendo | fiscal year (usu. April 1 to March 31 in Japan); financial year |
| 年代 | ねんだい nendai | age; era; period |
See also: Chinese symbol for “year”.
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.