How to say "aged" in Japanese

• 古いふるいJLPT N5approx.Common
  i-adjectiveCovers 'aged' only in the broad sense of old: it describes things — buildings, books, customs — rather than people, and is not the word for a person's age.
  ケンが使つかっている机つくえはもう古ふるい。↗

  The desk that Ken uses is old.
• 年取ったとしとったCommon
  prenominal modifierCovers 'aged' only of people: someone who has grown old. 年取った人 means an aged person; it does not apply to things, where 古い is used instead.
  彼かれらは年とし取とった人ひとに大変たいへん親切しんせつです。↗

  They are kind to old people.
• 年配ねんぱいCommon
  no-adjectiveA noun for elderly people rather than a direct adjective: 年配の人 means an elderly person. Use it of people's age, never of aged things.
  スミス夫人ふじんは年配ねんぱいの女性じょせいです。↗

  Mrs. Smith is an elderly lady.

Choose 「古い」 for aged things, buildings, or ideas in the plain sense of old; 「年取った」 for a person who has grown old; and 年配 for elderly people as an age group.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 古いふるいold
• 年取ったとしとったold (person)
• 高年齢こうねんれいaged
• 年配ねんぱいelderly
• 蒼々そうそうgreying (hair)