How to say "years" in Japanese

• 年齢ねんれいJLPT N3approx.Common
  nounCovers 'years' as a person's age: the number of years someone has lived. This is the word for asking or stating how old a person is.
  おじいさんの年齢ねんれいは僕ぼくの年齢ねんれいの５倍ばいだ。↗

  My grandfather is five times as old as I am.
• 年配ねんぱいCommon
  nounNot a way to count years: it means approximate age, and in practice refers to people of middle age or older. Seldom the word you want for 'years' itself.
  彼女かのじょはもっと分別ぶんべつがあってよい年配ねんぱいだ。↗

  She is old enough to know better.
• 月日つきひJLPT N2approx.Common
  nounCovers 'years' as time that flows by: the days and months making up a stretch of one's life. Typical when reflecting on how the years have passed.
  その二ふたつの事件じけんの間あいだには何なん年ねんもの月日つきひが経たっている。↗

  Years intervene between the two incidents.
• 歳月さいげつCommon
  noun, adverbTreats time as a span of years, often long ones — the years over which something changes or is built. Choose it when emphasizing how much time has passed.
  移住者いじゅうしゃの部落ぶらくが野蛮やばん人にんによって征服せいふくされ、移住者いじゅうしゃの希望きぼうも生活せいかつも土壇場どたんばにきた時とき、長ながい歳月さいげつをかけての不幸ふこうとのたたかいに終止符しゅうしふがうたれた。↗

  Years of resistance to misfortune ended when the settlers' village was overcome by the savages and their hopes and lives came to the bitter end.
• 年としJLPT N5approx.Common
  nounThe general-purpose choice: it covers a person's age and years as a count or stretch of time. When you simply mean 'years' in ordinary talk, this is the natural word.
  お年としをお聞ききしてよろしいでしょうか。↗

  Might I ask your age?

For a person's age in years use 年齢 or the broad 年; 年配 means approximate age, typically of middle-aged or older people; for years as passing time choose 月日 or 歳月.

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

• 年齢ねんれいage
• 年配ねんぱい(approximate) age
• 月日つきひtime
• 歳月さいげつtime
• 寿じゅage
• 幾世いくよgenerations
• 星霜せいそうyears
• 紀年きねんyears (since the start of an era)
• 年端としはage
• 年紀ねんきyear
• 積年せきねん(many) years
• 年としage
• 春秋しゅんじゅうyears
• 日月じつげつtime
• 歯しage