青年（せいねん、seinen）
- youth

The Japanese word 青年, pronounced せいねん (seinen), generally refers to a young man, a youth, or a person in their youth. It often implies an age range, typically spanning from late teens to early twenties, encompassing the period of transition from adolescence to adulthood. 青年 emphasizes the vitality, potential, and development associated with this stage of life. It can also refer to a group or collective of young people.

⚫︎彼は青年だ。 Translation: He is a young man. ⚫︎青年の成長物語。 Translation: A coming-of-age story. ⚫︎青年たちは未来について語り合った。 Translation: The young people discussed the future.

⚫︎青年 is used in formal and informal contexts. ⚫︎It's common in literature, news, and everyday conversation when discussing or referring to young men. ⚫︎It's often used in contrast to older age groups (e.g., elderly, middle-aged). ⚫︎When addressing someone directly, it's more common to use their name or other terms of address, rather than directly using 青年.

⚫︎The word is typically written in kanji 青年. ⚫︎The reading is せいねん in hiragana. ⚫︎There is no okurigana variation. ⚫︎It is not commonly written in katakana.

⚫︎若者 (wakamon, young person) - broader and less gender-specific. ⚫︎若人 (wakajin, young person) - a more literary term. ⚫︎少年 (shounen, boy/youth) - generally younger than 青年. ⚫︎若年 (jakunen, young age) - refers to a young age group.

⚫︎老人 (roujin, elderly person) ⚫︎中年 (chuunen, middle-aged person) ⚫︎壮年 (sou nen, prime of life/ in one's prime)

彼は青年］期に海外留学を経験した。 ・Translation: He experienced studying abroad during his youth. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the time frame of his experience using the word 青年 to reference his young years.

その小説は、ある青年］の冒険を描いている。 ・Translation: The novel depicts the adventure of a young man. ・Explanation: This is a typical use of 青年 in literature, referring to the protagonist's age.

The word 青年 is a compound word formed from two kanji: 青 (sei), meaning "blue" or "young," and 年 (nen), meaning "year" or "age." The combination evokes a sense of freshness, vitality, and the early years of life, when a person is still "green" or developing.