若(わか)い

わかい
i-adjective
young
descriptive
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present若(わか)い若(わか)くない
Past若(わか)かった若(わか)くなかった
て form若(わか)くて若(わか)くなくて
Adverbial若(わか)く—
Conditional ば若(わか)ければ若(わか)くなければ
Conditional たら若(わか)かったら若(わか)くなかったら
1. young
Having lived or existed for a short time. Used for people and sometimes animals.
彼女(かのじょ)は若(わか)いです。
She is young.
彼女(かのじょ)は見(み)た目(め)より若(わか)い。
She's younger than she looks.
若(わか)い時(とき)、たくさん本(ほん)を読(よ)みました。
When I was young, I read a lot of books.
若(わか)い頃(ころ)はよく運動(うんどう)した。
When I was young, I used to exercise a lot.
あの先生(せんせい)はまだ若(わか)いですが、とても上手(じょうず)です。
That teacher is still young, but very skilled.
若(わか)い社員(しゃいん)が多(おお)い会社(かいしゃ)なので、雰囲気(ふんいき)が明(あか)るくて活気(かっき)がある。
The company has many young employees, so the atmosphere is bright and lively.
2. youthful, immature
Can also describe someone who acts or looks young, or is inexperienced.
考(かんが)えが若(わか)い。
Your thinking is immature.
気持(きも)ちが若(わか)い。
You have a youthful spirit.
若(わか)く見(み)えますね。
You look young.
A common compliment in Japan
まだ若(わか)いから、失敗(しっぱい)してもいい。
It's okay to fail because you're still young.
私(わたし)の祖父(そふ)は八十歳(はちじゅっさい)ですが、心(こころ)は若(わか)いです。毎日(まいにち)散歩(さんぽ)しています。
My grandfather is 80 years old, but he is young at heart. He walks every day.

Usage

若(わか)い is primarily used for people and living things, while 新(あたら)しい is used for objects and things. It is relative: a 45-year-old can be a 若(わか)い社長(しゃちょう) (young company president). For very small children, 小(ちい)さい or a specific age is more natural.

Forms

  • Adverbial: 若(わか)く (若(わか)く見(み)える, to look young)
  • Noun form: 若(わか)さ (youth, youthfulness)

Compounds

Common expressions

  • 若(わか)い頃(ころ)/若(わか)い時(とき): when (one was) young
  • 若(わか)い世代(せだい): the younger generation
  • まだ若(わか)い: still young
  • 若(わか)く見(み)える: to look young (a common compliment)
  • 気(き)が若(わか)い: young at heart
  • 考(かんが)えが若(わか)い: immature thinking (slightly negative)

Related Words

Related: 若者(わかもの) (young person, youth)
Antonym: 年寄(としよ)り (elderly person)
Compare: 新(あたら)しい (new (used for things, not people))
Related: 若返(わかがえ)る (to become younger, rejuvenate)
basic
Added 2026.1.7 21:10 · Revised 2026.10.2 4:13
00500/00823_wakai