1.
greenhorn; immature young person
A young and inexperienced person, used disparagingly to criticize someone's immaturity or presumption.
青二才のくせに生意気だ。
He's cheeky for a greenhorn.
あの青二才に何がわかる。
What would that greenhorn know?
あのころの自分は青二才で、周りの忠告を聞かなかった。
Back then I was a greenhorn and wouldn't listen to the advice of those around me.
A somewhat old-fashioned but still understood word. 青 (blue/green) carries connotations of immaturity in Japanese (as in 青臭い, green/immature), and 二才 is an archaic word for a young person. The word is usually used by older people to dismiss younger ones, or self-deprecatingly when reflecting on one's own past.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 青二才のくせに: despite being a greenhorn
- 青二才が偉そうに: a greenhorn acting important
- まだ青二才だ: still just a greenhorn
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 世間知らず: naive, unworldly — focuses on lack of social awareness, while 青二才 emphasizes youthful arrogance or presumption
- 若造: young upstart — similarly dismissive of youth, but less literary
- 半人前: half-fledged — focuses on incomplete skill development rather than attitude