Kanji N3

老: old man, old age, grow old

老 is a JLPT N3 kanji meaning old man, old age, grow old, written with 6 strokes. It is read ロウ (on) and おいる, ふける (kun). Children in Japan learn it in grade 4. You will see it in 老人 (ろうじん, old person) and 老い (おい, old age).

老

Meanings

  • old man
  • old age
  • grow old
Strokes6
JLPT levelN3
School gradeGrade 4
Frequency#803 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • ロウ

On'yomi: from Chinese, written in katakana. Used in compound words.

Kun reading
  • おいる
  • ふける

Kun'yomi: native Japanese, in hiragana. The faint part is the okurigana, written in kana after the kanji.

Watch the stroke order

Every stroke in order, the live one in vermilion. Replay as often as you like.

123456

Now draw it

Trace each stroke in order. Wrong direction or wrong order gets flagged right away.

1234560 / 6

Your turn: draw stroke 1 of 6. Start at the dot.

Common words with 老

The most useful words written with it, easiest first. Every other kanji in them opens its own page.

  • 老人ろうじん

    old person; senior citizen; the aged

    JLPT N3
  • 老いおい

    old age; ageing; aging

    JLPT N3
  • 老衰ろうすい

    senility; senile decay; infirmity (through age)

    JLPT N1
  • 老けるふける

    to age; to grow old (esp. in appearance)

    JLPT N1
  • 老いるおいる

    to age; to grow old

    JLPT N1
  • 老後ろうご

    old age

  • 長老ちょうろう

    elder; senior

  • 老化ろうか

    ageing; aging; senile deterioration

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Stroke order from KanjiVG © Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0. Readings, meanings and words from KANJIDIC2 and JMdict, names from JMnedict, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata, CC0; the Spanish meanings they lack, translated by Naraio from their English, are shared under the same licence. Example sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR. JLPT lists after Jonathan Waller (tanos.co.uk), CC BY. Sentences split into words with IPADIC © NAIST and IPA, through Lindera.