老(お)い

おい

noun

old age, aging

1. old age, aging

The state of being old or the process of growing old.

老(お)いを感(かん)じる。

To feel one's age.

老(お)いには勝(か)てない。

You can't fight old age.

老(お)いに負(ま)けずに元気(げんき)に暮(く)らしている。

Living well without giving in to old age.

老(お)いを迎(むか)えて、静(しず)かに暮(く)らしたいと思(おも)う。

As I reach old age, I want to live quietly.

2. the aged, the elderly

Old people collectively.

老(お)いも若(わか)きも。

Both old and young.

Set phrase

老(お)いも若(わか)きも一緒(いっしょ)に楽(たの)しめるイベントだ。

It's an event that both old and young can enjoy together.

老(お)い is a literary or formal noun referring to the state or process of aging. It carries a reflective, sometimes solemn tone and appears frequently in essays, speeches, and proverbs rather than casual conversation.

COMMON PATTERNS:

老(お)いを感(かん)じる: to feel one's age
老(お)いに負(ま)ける: to succumb to old age
老(お)いを迎(むか)える: to reach old age
老(お)いも若(わか)きも: old and young alike (set phrase)

RELATED WORDS:

老人(ろうじん): elderly person (neutral, common)
老(お)いる: to grow old (verb, literary)
老(ふ)ける: to age, look old (verb, more colloquial)

REGISTER:
More elevated than 年(とし)を取(と)ること (getting older). Used when speaking about aging as a universal human experience.

Related Words

Related: 老(お)いる (to grow old (verb))

general

Added 2026.1.9 21:30 · Revised 2026.5.17 23:07

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