1.
twenty years old
The age of twenty.
今年二十歳になります。
I turn twenty this year.
二十歳の誕生日
Twentieth birthday.
二十歳から選挙権がある。
You have voting rights from age twenty.
二十歳になったら、お酒が飲めるようになる。
When you turn twenty, you can legally drink alcohol.
二十歳のとき成人式に出て、友達とたくさん写真を撮った。
At age twenty, I attended the coming-of-age ceremony and took lots of photos with friends.
二十歳 is a special native Japanese reading for 'twenty years old.' It is an irregular reading — the regular Sino-Japanese form would be 二十歳.
SPECIAL AGE READINGS:
Japanese has very few special age words. 二十歳 is the most common. The regular counter pattern ～歳 is used for all other ages.
CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:
- Traditional age of adulthood in Japan
- 成人式 (Coming of Age ceremony) is held for those turning 20
- Note: The legal adult age changed to 18 in April 2022, but 成人式 is often still celebrated at 20
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 二十歳になる: to turn twenty
- 二十歳の記念: twentieth birthday commemoration