老ける
ふける
verb (ichidan)
to age; to look old
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 老ける | 老けない |
| Present polite | 老けます | 老けません |
| Past | 老けた | 老けなかった |
| Past polite | 老けました | 老けませんでした |
| て form | 老けて | 老けなくて |
| ている present | 老けている | 老けていない |
| ている polite | 老けています | 老けていません |
| ている past | 老けていた | 老けていなかった |
| ている past polite | 老けていました | 老けていませんでした |
| Conditional ば | 老ければ | 老けなければ |
| Conditional たら | 老けたら | 老けなかったら |
| Volitional | 老けよう | — |
| Volitional polite | 老けましょう | — |
| Potential | 老けられる | 老けられない |
| Passive | 老けられる | 老けられない |
| Causative | 老けさせる | 老けさせない |
| Imperative | 老けろ | 老けるな |
1.
to age; to grow old; to look older
To show signs of aging in one's appearance. Often used to describe someone who looks older than their actual age or who has visibly aged.
ずいぶん老けたね。
You've aged quite a bit, haven't you?
苦労が多くて老けて見える。
The many hardships make them look old.
十年ぶりに会った友人はすっかり老けていて驚いた。
I was surprised to see how much my friend had aged when I met them after ten years.
USAGE:
Focuses on visible changes in appearance due to aging. Can be blunt or even rude when said directly to someone. The past form 老けた is often used as a modifier meaning "aged-looking."
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 老けて見える (to look old)
- すっかり老ける (to age completely)
- 急に老ける (to age suddenly)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 年を取る: to grow older — neutral and objective
- 老いる: to grow old — more literary, focuses on the process of aging itself