There's a Japanese saying: 人生山あり谷あり — "life has mountains and valleys." From the first cry of 生 (birth) to the finality of 死 (death), Japanese kanji paint a vivid picture of the entire human journey. Master these 20 kanji and you'll see a complete life timeline — infancy, growth, prime years, marriage, aging, death, and even what comes after.
This article teaches you 20 kanji for the stages of life.
Core Kanji Table
Birth & Growth
| Kanji | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Meaning | Common Words | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 生 | セイ (sei)・ショウ (shō) | い(きる) (ikiru)・う(まれる) (umareru) | life / live | 生活 (せいかつ, daily life), 誕生 (たんじょう, birth) | Has the most readings — see special section below |
| 育 | イク (iku) | そだ(つ) (sodatsu) | raise / grow | 教育 (きょういく, education), 育児 (いくじ, childcare) | 育児 = childcare |
| 産 | サン (san) | う(む) (umu) | produce / give birth | 出産 (しゅっさん, childbirth), 産業 (さんぎょう, industry) | 出産 = childbirth |
| 児 | ジ (ji)・ニ (ni) | — | child (formal) | 幼児 (ようじ, infant), 児童 (じどう, child) | 児童 = child (formal) |
| 童 | ドウ (dō) | わらべ (warabe) | child | 児童 (じどう, child), 童話 (どうわ, fairy tale) | 童話 = fairy tale |
| 幼 | ヨウ (yō) | おさな(い) (osanai) | young / infant | 幼児 (ようじ, infant), 幼稚園 (ようちえん, kindergarten) | 幼稚園 = kindergarten |
Youth & Prime
| Kanji | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Meaning | Common Words | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 若 | ジャク (jaku) | わか(い) (wakai) | young | 若者 (わかもの, young person), 若干 (じゃっかん, some/slightly) | 若者 = young person |
| 壮 | ソウ (sō) | — | vigorous / prime | 壮大 (そうだい, grand), 壮年 (そうねん, prime of life) | 壮年 = prime years |
| 成 | セイ (sei)・ジョウ (jō) | な(る) (naru) | become / complete | 成人 (せいじん, adult), 成功 (せいこう, success) | 成人 = adult |
| 才 | サイ (sai) | — | talent / age | 天才 (てんさい, genius), 二十才 (はたち, 20 years old) | 才 can also mean "years old" (= 歳) |
| 徒 | ト (to) | — | follower / on foot | 生徒 (せいと, student), 徒歩 (とほ, on foot) | 生徒 = student |
| 弟 | テイ (tei)・ダイ (dai) | おとうと (otōto) | younger brother / apprentice | 弟子 (でし, disciple), 兄弟 (きょうだい, siblings) | 弟子 = disciple/apprentice |
Milestones
| Kanji | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Meaning | Common Words | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 婚 | コン (kon) | — | marriage | 結婚 (けっこん, marriage), 婚約 (こんやく, engagement) | 結婚 = marriage |
| 老 | ロウ (rō) | お(いる) (oiru) | old / aged | 老人 (ろうじん, elderly person), 老化 (ろうか, aging) | 老化 = aging |
| 衰 | スイ (sui) | おとろ(える) (otoroeru) | decline / weaken | 衰退 (すいたい, decline), 老衰 (ろうすい, senility) | 老衰 = decline due to old age |
| 寿 | ジュ (ju) | ことぶき (kotobuki) | longevity | 長寿 (ちょうじゅ, long life), 寿命 (じゅみょう, lifespan) | 寿 = a celebratory kanji |
Death & Beyond
| Kanji | On'yomi | Kun'yomi | Meaning | Common Words | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 死 | シ (shi) | し(ぬ) (shinu) | death | 死亡 (しぼう, death), 必死 (ひっし, desperate) | 必死 = desperate effort (not "certain death") |
| 葬 | ソウ (sō) | ほうむ(る) (hōmuru) | bury / funeral | 葬式 (そうしき, funeral), 葬儀 (そうぎ, funeral rites) | 葬式 = funeral ceremony |
| 墓 | ボ (bo) | はか (haka) | grave / tomb | 墓 (はか, grave), 墓地 (ぼち, cemetery) | 墓地 = cemetery |
| 霊 | レイ (rei) | たま (tama) | spirit / soul | 霊 (れい, spirit), 幽霊 (ゆうれい, ghost) | 幽霊 = ghost |
生 — The Kanji with the Most Readings
生 is famously the kanji with the most readings in Japanese. Here are the most important ones:
| Reading | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| い(きる) | 生きる | to live |
| う(まれる) | 生まれる | to be born |
| は(える) | 生える | to grow (plants, hair) |
| なま | 生ビール | draft beer |
| セイ | 生活 (せいかつ) | daily life |
| ショウ | 一生 (いっしょう) | one's whole life |
| き | 生地 (きじ) | fabric / dough |
| お(う) | 生い立ち (おいたち) | upbringing |
| う(む) | 生む | to give birth / produce |
Why so many readings? Because 生 covers "birth, living, growing, and raw/unprocessed" — Japanese assigned different kun'yomi and on'yomi for each nuance. Don't try to memorize them all at once. Learn them one word at a time and they'll stick naturally.
Life Milestone Vocabulary
Japanese culture is rich with ceremonies tied to life stages:
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 七五三 | しちごさん | Shichi-Go-San | Celebration for children aged 3, 5, and 7 — held in November |
| 成人式 | せいじんしき | Coming-of-Age Day | Ceremony at 20 (now changed to 18) — held in January |
| 結婚式 | けっこんしき | wedding | Wedding ceremony |
| 還暦 | かんれき | kanreki | 60th birthday — one full cycle of the zodiac |
| 古希 | こき | koki | 70th birthday — from "reaching 70 is rare since antiquity" |
| 米寿 | べいじゅ | beiju | 88th birthday — 米 breaks into 八十八 (eighty-eight) |
| 葬式 | そうしき | funeral | Funeral ceremony |
| 法事 | ほうじ | hoji | Buddhist memorial service after death |
| お盆 | おぼん | Obon | August festival when ancestors' spirits return home |
| 墓参り | はかまいり | grave visit | Visiting family graves to pay respects |
A Japanese person's life rituals span from お宮参り (first shrine visit after birth) to 葬式 (funeral), weaving together both Shinto and Buddhist traditions.
Practice
Q1. How do you read 幼 in 幼稚園?
Show answer
よう. 幼稚園 (ようちえん) = kindergarten. The on'yomi of 幼 is ヨウ, and its kun'yomi is おさない (young, childish).
Q2. What does 必死 mean? How does it relate to 死?
Show answer
Desperate effort / giving it everything you've got. Literally "certain death," but in practice it means "trying as hard as humanly possible." Example: 必死に勉強する = to study desperately hard. Unlike what the kanji suggest, it's actually a positive, determined word.
Q3. How do you read 生 in 生ビール, and why?
Show answer
なま. 生ビール = draft beer (unpasteurized beer). The reading なま means "raw, unprocessed" — the same なま as in 生魚 (raw fish).
Q4. How old is 米寿, and why is it called "rice longevity"?
Show answer
88 years old. Break the kanji 米 apart: the top is 八, the middle is 十, the bottom is 八 — giving you 八十八 (eighty-eight). That's why the 88th birthday is called 米寿 (べいじゅ).
Q5. What life stages do 壮年 and 老衰 refer to?
Show answer
壮年 (そうねん) = prime of life, the period of peak physical and mental vigor. 老衰 (ろうすい) = senile decline, the gradual weakening of the body due to old age. Together they trace the arc: 壮 (vigorous) → 老 (old) → 衰 (declining).
Summary
- Life-stage kanji span from 生・産 (birth) through 死・葬・墓・霊 (death and beyond), mapping the full human journey
- 生 is the kanji with the most readings in Japanese — い(きる), う(まれる), なま, セイ, ショウ and more — learn them one word at a time
- Japanese life rituals blend Shinto and Buddhist traditions — 七五三, 成人式, 還暦, お盆, 葬式
- 必死 doesn't mean "certain death" — it means "giving it everything," a surprisingly positive word
- This is the final article in the People series — congratulations on completing the journey from family to the stages of life!