JLPT N3 · 6 strokes
Kanji 老: "old man, old age, grow old"
The kanji 老 means "old man, old age, grow old". It is written with 6 strokes and belongs to JLPT level N3, read ロウ in on'yomi and お.いる, ふ.ける in kun'yomi.
Stroke order
Strokes are written in the order of the numbers. The order is not decorative: it is what gives the character its balance, and it is also how handwriting search works in Japanese dictionaries.
Readings
On'yomi (Sino-Japanese reading)
ロウ
Kun'yomi (native Japanese reading)
お.いるふ.ける
In a kun'yomi reading, the dot separates the kanji from its okurigana: かた.る is read かたる and written 語る. A hyphen marks a bound position, like -び in 日.
At a glance
| Meaning | old man, old age, grow old |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 6 |
| JLPT level | N3 |
| Taught in Japan | grade 4 |
| Frequency rank | 803 of 2,501 |
Common words with 老
The most frequent words using this kanji, most common first, with furigana readings. Click one to open it in the reader.
- 老人old person; senior citizen; the aged; the elderly
- 老old age; age; old people; the old · I; me; my humble self
- 老婆old woman
- 老いるto age; to grow old
- 長老elder; senior · senior monk
- 初老past middle age; nearing old age; near-elderly · age 40
- 年老いるto grow old
- 老けるto age; to grow old (esp. in appearance); to show marks of age
- 老いold age; ageing; aging · old person; the elderly; the aged
- 老若男女men and women of all ages
- 老女elderly woman · senior lady-in-waiting
- 不老不死perpetual youth and longevity; immortality
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