Ages & Life Stages in Chinese 年龄
niánlíng
Age in Chinese is 年龄 (nián líng).
Also searched for as: how old are you, age, old and young, life stages.
How old is everyone? 15 essential ages & life stages words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
To ask someone's age in Chinese, the safest choice is 你多大？ (nǐ duō dà), literally 'how big are you?', but the right question changes with the age of the person you're asking. This topic covers age words and life stages, from 小时候 (xiǎo shí hou), 'as a child', and 青少年 (qīng shào nián), teenagers, to 中年 (zhōng nián), middle age, and 退休 (tuì xiū), retirement, plus the zodiac verb 属 (shǔ).
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 年龄 | nián líng | age |
| 岁数 | suì shu | age (colloquial) |
| 青少年 | qīng shào nián | teenager |
| 成年人 | chéng nián rén | adult |
| 中年 | zhōng nián | middle age |
| 老年人 | lǎo nián rén | elderly people |
| 退休 | tuì xiū | to retire |
| 小时候 | xiǎo shí hou | as a child |
| 年轻 | nián qīng | young |
| 变老 | biàn lǎo | to grow old |
| 一辈子 | yī bèi zi | whole life |
| 同岁 | tóng suì | the same age |
| 大 | dà | old (of age); big |
| 多大 | duō dà | how old |
| 属 | shǔ | to be born in the year of (zodiac) |
Usage tips
- Match the question to the person: 你几岁了？ (nǐ jǐ suì le) for young children, 你多大了？ (nǐ duō dà le) for people around your age, and 您多大岁数了？ (nín duō dà suì shu le) for older people.
- Asking 你属什么？ (nǐ shǔ shén me), 'what's your zodiac animal?', is a gentle, indirect way to work out someone's age, since the animals repeat every twelve years.
- 年龄 (nián líng) is formal and appears on forms and in writing; in conversation people ask with 多大 (duō dà) or, for older people, 岁数 (suì shu).
Common mistakes
- Using 老 (lǎo) to compare ages, as in 他比我老: it sounds as if he looks old. Use 大 (dà) instead, as in 他比我大三岁 (tā bǐ wǒ dà sān suì), 'he's three years older than me'.
- Adding 是 before an age, as in 我是二十岁: natives usually drop it and say 我二十岁 (wǒ èr shí suì).
Mini dialogue
- A你属什么？Nǐ shǔ shén me?What's your zodiac sign?
- B我属龙。你呢？Wǒ shǔ lóng. Nǐ ne?I'm a Dragon. You?
- A我也属龙！我们同岁吧？Wǒ yě shǔ lóng! Wǒ men tóng suì ba?I'm a Dragon too! So we're the same age?
- B不一定，我比你大十二岁！Bù yī dìng, wǒ bǐ nǐ dà shí èr suì!Not necessarily, I'm twelve years older than you!
- A真的吗？你看起来很年轻！Zhēn de ma? Nǐ kàn qǐ lái hěn nián qīng!Really? You look very young!
Example sentences
- 请问你的年龄是多少？May I ask how old you are?
- 你爷爷多大岁数了？How old is your grandpa?
- 这本书很适合青少年。This book is great for teenagers.
- 成年人要对自己负责。Adults have to take responsibility for themselves.
- 他已经是中年人了。He's middle-aged now.
- 老年人坐公交车免费。Elderly people ride the bus for free.
- 我爸爸去年退休了。My dad retired last year.
- 我小时候住在农村。I lived in the countryside as a child.
- 你看起来很年轻。You look very young.
- 谁都会变老。Everyone grows old.
- 他一辈子都住在这儿。He's lived here his whole life.
- 我们俩同岁。We're the same age.
- 你比我大两岁。You're two years older than me.
- 你今年多大？How old are you this year?
- 我属龙。I was born in the Year of the Dragon.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Ages & life stages speaking island has 8 everyday questions about ages & life stages to prepare your own answers to.