1.
nineteen years old; age 19
The age of nineteen. In Japan, this is the final year before legal adulthood (成人) at age 20, though the legal age of majority for most civil-law purposes was lowered to 18 in 2022. Nineteen-year-olds are usually first- or second-year university students, or young workers in their second post–high-school year.
Composed of 十九 (nineteen) and the age counter 〜歳 (years of age).
Pronunciation
Note the special reading 十九 — in isolation, 19 can also be read じゅうく, but for the age compound 十九歳, じゅうきゅう is the standard reading. The 歳 counter can also be written 才 in informal contexts.
Cultural note
In Japan, traditional coming-of-age age is 20, celebrated at 成人式 (the Coming-of-Age Ceremony). Since the 2022 civil-code change lowering the age of majority to 18, nineteen-year-olds are adults for most legal purposes, but drinking and smoking remain restricted until 20. In many families, the nineteenth birthday still feels like the last year of "being a kid."
Common collocations
- 十九歳の誕生日: nineteenth birthday
- 十九歳の時: when I was nineteen
- 十九歳で: at nineteen (at the age of)
- 十九歳の若者: a young person of nineteen
Related ages
- 十八歳: eighteen years old — now the legal age of adulthood in Japan
- 二十歳: twenty years old — special non-compositional reading; the traditional coming-of-age
- 二十一歳: twenty-one years old
Related Words
Related:
二十歳 (twenty years old)