古老・故老|ころうkorou[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounold person (knowledgeable about events of the distant past); elderly person; elder

• Synonym長老ちょうろうFormalFormal word for a highly respected elder or senior monk; it stresses a person's standing within an organization or group.
• Related年寄りとしよりNeutralEveryday neutral word for an elderly person; also the sumo elder title. Unlike 「古老」, it carries no nuance of knowing the past.
• Related年老としおいWrittenWritten/formal prose for someone grown old and frail; rare, and unlike 「古老」 it says nothing about knowing the past.
• Related老人ろうじんNeutralNeutral, objective word for the elderly, common in both speech and writing (「老人ホーム」); it does not stress knowledge or insight.
• Related高齢者こうれいしゃFormalFormal administrative and statistical term for senior citizens, as in 「高齢者福祉」; no nuance of remembering past events.
• Related老いおいWrittenWritten/formal prose for old age or an aged person, as in 「老いの一徹」; it leans toward the state of ageing, not a person versed in the past.
• Related老骨ろうこつWrittenWritten/formal prose, a humble way to speak of one's own aged body, as in 「老骨に鞭打つ」; not a label for a knowledgeable elder.
• Related老体ろうたいWrittenWritten/formal prose for an aged body; also an honorific for an elderly person, as in 「ご老体」. No nuance of knowing the past.
• Related老ろうWrittenWritten/formal prose for old age; mostly a prefix, as in 「老夫婦」. It does not single out a person versed in the past.
• Antonym若輩じゃくはいWrittenWritten/formal prose for a young, inexperienced person; the opposite pole to the aged elder that 「古老」 denotes.

In daily speech 「お年寄り」 and 「老人」 are the usual words for an elderly person. Use 「古老」 for an old person versed in local history and legends, as in 「村の古老に話を聞く」. 「長老」 honors a venerable elder's standing in a group; 「若輩」 is its written opposite for the young and green. The rest are written or formal: 「高齢者」 administrative, 「老い」 ageing itself, 「老骨」「老体」 an aged body, 「老骨」 humbly one's own.

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

1. 昔むかしのことを知しっている老人ろうじん。