How to Say ‘How old are you?’ in Japanese
なんさいですか？
nan sai desu ka
[nahn sigh dess ka]
💬 Usage Tip: Ages are counted with さい (sai), so なん (nan) "what" + さい asks "what age". Answer with a number + さい, as in さんじゅっさい (sanjussai) "30 years old".
🇯🇵 In Japan: Asking someone's age is fairly common in Japan, because it helps people know how politely to speak to each other. A softer version is おいくつですか (oikutsu desu ka).
Phrase Breakdown
なん
nan
[nahn]
what
なん means “what.” Used in questions, especially before です/ですか: なまえはなんですか (“What is your name?”).
なまえはなんですか。
What is your name?
さい
sai
[sigh]
years old (age counter)
Age counter meaning ‘years old.’ Used after a number: 25さい = 25 years old.
二十五さいです。
I am 25 years old.
です
desu
[dess]
is; polite copula
A polite sentence ending used in formal conversation.
少し伺いたいです。
I would like to ask a little.
か
ka
[ka]
question particle
A particle used at the end of a sentence to form a question.
それは大丈夫ですか？
Is that okay?
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