老年 lǎonián elderly
elderly; old age; autumn of one's years
How to remember 老年: 老 old + 年 year = elderly.
Characters
How it is used
- Formal, somewhat clinical noun/attributive for old age, mostly seen in compounds like 老年人 (lǎonián rén, elderly people) or 老年病 (geriatric diseases).
- 老年人的身体需要更多照顾 (lǎonián rén de shēntǐ xūyào gèng duō zhàogù) - elderly people's health needs more care.
- Doesn't stand alone to describe a single person; for that, use 老人 (lǎorén, an old person), which is the everyday word.
- Common in medical, social-policy, and demographic contexts rather than casual conversation.
Example sentences
- 太极运动适合老年人。 Tàijí yùndòng shìhé lǎoniánrén.Tai Chi exercises are appropriate for the elderly.