1.
ten thousand years; perpetual; perennial
Literally 'ten thousand years.' Used as a prefix in compounds to mean 'perpetual' or 'perennial,' and often, half-jokingly, 'forever stuck in one state.'
富士山には万年雪がある。
Mt. Fuji has perpetual snow.
彼は万年係長だ。
He's been a section chief forever (never promoted).
兄は万年床で、布団をいつも敷きっぱなしだ。
My brother never puts his futon away—it's permanently laid out.
Literally 'ten thousand years.' Beyond the literal number, it works as a prefix meaning 'perpetual' or 'perennial,' and often 'forever stuck in one state'—frequently with a humorous or resigned tone.
COMMON COMPOUNDS:
- 万年筆: fountain pen
- 万年雪: perpetual snow
- 万年床: a futon that is never put away
- 万年係長: someone perpetually stuck at the same low rank
NOTE:
The '10,000' here is figurative, meaning 'countless' or 'endless,' much like 'a thousand' in English expressions.