Jupiter, the Year Star, whose twelve-year orbit marked the cycle of years. Year; age (years old); annual. Mountains (山) watching evening (夕) pass, year after year.
是 has no business in front of an age. The number goes straight after the person.
Time spent doing something uses 年, not 岁. 岁 only counts birthdays.
岁 counts birthdays, 年 counts time passing. They never swap.
岁 counts how many birthdays you've had; 年 counts how many calendar years went by. So 'I'm three years old' is 我三岁, while 'I lived there three years' is 我在那儿住了三年. Swap them and you sound like a malfunctioning time machine.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Age: I'm three | 我三岁 | 我三年 |
| Duration: I lived there three years | 我在那儿住了三年 | 我在那儿住了三岁 |
No. 几岁 is for kids. Ask grown-ups 你多大.
几岁 is what you ask a five-year-old holding a lollipop. Aim it at a grown-up and it lands somewhere between cute and insulting. 你多大 works for anyone, while 您多大年纪 is the polite version for elders.
| Situation | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Asking a small kid | 你几岁？ | 你多大？ |
| Asking a friend or adult | 你多大？ | 你几岁？ |
| Asking an elder politely | 您多大年纪？ | 您几岁？ |
Drop the 是. Age goes straight after the person.
There is no 是 before age, height, or prices. 我三岁 is already a complete sentence on its own. Adding 是 makes it sound like you're filing yourself under a category, which is not how people talk.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Stating your age | 我三岁 | 我是三岁 |
| Stating height | 他很高 | 他是很高 |
| Stating a price | 这个十块 | 这个是十块 |
Before you read, think about the questions you ask every day. This simple poem shows you how to ask age, price, time, and more in friendly Chinese.
问小孩儿，你几 岁 ？
This playful reading contrasts small universities and big primary schools. You will practice basic words for school levels and sizes while enjoying a simple rhythmic verse.
六 岁 上小学。
A young man helps an old man look for his cat. But the real surprise is why the old man wanted to find the cat. Read on to learn about kindness and friendship.
老先生对白天明说：“我 八十岁 了，儿子和女儿都在北京工作，我一个人住在这里。
No questions or discussions yet. Have a question about this character/word? Be the first to ask!
