Japanese word

還暦

Pronunciation

Romajikanreki

Meaning

  • nounsixtieth birthday

Example

父は今年、還暦を迎えます。chichi wa kotoshi kan reki o muka e ma su

My father will celebrate his sixtieth birthday this year.

Illustration for 還暦 (sixtieth birthday)

More examples

祖父は還暦を記念して、家族と温泉旅行に出かけました。so fu wa kan reki o ki nen shi te ka zoku to on sen ryo kō ni de ka ke ma shi ta

My grandfather went on a hot spring trip with his family to celebrate his sixtieth birthday.

Core concept

Describes the milestone when a person completes sixty years and returns to the first sign of the traditional zodiac cycle.

Common phrases

  • 還暦を迎えるkan reki o muka e ru

    reach one's sixtieth birthday

  • 還暦を祝うkan reki o iwa u

    celebrate someone's sixtieth birthday

  • 還暦のお祝いkan reki no o iwa i

    sixtieth birthday celebration

Similar words

華甲kakō: A literary term for a person's sixtieth birthday.

Definition in Japanese

満六十歳になる節目。また、その誕生日を祝うこと。man roku jū sai ni na ru fushi me ma ta so no tan jō hi o iwa u ko to

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese compound joins 還 (kan, "return") with 暦 (reki, "calendar"), expressing a return through the calendar after one full sixty-year cycle.

Usage tips

  • The traditional cycle behind 還暦 (kanreki) combines the twelve zodiac animals with the ten heavenly stems to produce sixty distinct year signs.

Word lists with this word