Japanese

<p>
	In order to talk about age, we need to use the counter <strong><ruby>歳sai</ruby></strong>.
	Please note that <strong><ruby>歳sai</ruby></strong> is only used for talking about the age of living things like animals and humans.
	You would not, for example, say: <strong><ruby>あの車kurumaは何nan歳saiですか？</ruby></strong>.
</p>

<p>
	As with the previous counter words you have learned, 
	<strong><ruby>歳sai</ruby></strong> has several irregularities in how it is read in combination with certain numbers,
	as shown in the table below.
</p>

<table class="ui fixed celled table">
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>English</th>
			<th>Japanese</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr data-item="27243"></tr>
		<tr data-item="27244"></tr>
		<tr data-item="27245"></tr>
		<tr data-item="27246"></tr>
		<tr data-item="27247"></tr>
		<tr data-item="27248"></tr>
		<tr data-item="27249"></tr>
		<tr data-item="27250"></tr>
		<tr data-item="27251"></tr>
		<tr data-item="27252"></tr>
		<tr data-item="266475"></tr>
		<tr data-item="27253"></tr>
		<tr data-item="266474"></tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>
	As you can see, <strong>twenty years old</strong> is an exception, and after that counting tens continues as expected.
</p>

<p>
	Below are several example sentences relating to age.
</p>

<table class="ui fixed celled table">
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>English</th>
			<th>Japanese</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr data-item="27180"></tr>
		<tr data-item="27181"></tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

How old are you?

hiragana character

kanji

adnominal

adverb

auxiliary

conjunction

compound

i-adjective

interjection

noun

na-adjective

numeral

particle

case particle

conjunctive particle

discourse particle

prefix

pronoun

suffix

verb

sentence

hiragana writing

kanji writing

kanji component

reading vocabulary

katakana writing

katakana character

godan - group 1

itidan - group 2

group 3

transitive

intransitive

proper noun

discourse

phrase

expression

Word	〜歳さい〜sai
Meaning	years of age (counter)
Part of speech	suffix
Pronunciation
Course	Japanese
Lesson	How old are you?

I am 40 years old.	私わたし　は　四よん十じゅっ歳さい　です。watasi ha yonzyussai desu.
one year old	一いっ歳さいissai
two years old	二に歳さいnisai
three years old	三さん歳さいsansai
four years old	四よん歳さいyonsai
five years old	五ご歳さいgosai
six years old	六ろく歳さいrokusai
seven years old	七なな歳さいnanasai
eight years old	八はっ歳さいhassai
nine years old	九きゅう歳さいkyuusai
ten years old	十じゅっ歳さいzyussai
twenty years old	二は十た歳ちhatati
how many years old	何なん歳さいnansai
Before long I'll turn forty.	もうすぐ　四よん十じゅっ歳さい　に　なります。mousugu yonzyussai ni narimasu.
thirty years old	三さん十じゅっ歳さいsanzyussai
eleven years old	十じゅう　一いっ歳さいzyuu issai
She's about fifty years old.	彼かの女じょ　は、　五ご十じゅっ歳さい　ぐらい　です。彼かの女じょ　は、　五ご十じゅっ歳さい　ごろ　です。 kanozyo ha, gozyussai gurai desu. kanozyo ha, gozyussai goro desu.

〜sai

Breakdown of 〜sai

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Usages of 〜sai

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