Japanese word

青少年

Pronunciation

Romajiseishōnen

Meaning

  • nounyoung people

Example

青少年を守る法律があります。sei shō nen o mamo ru hō ritsu ga a ri ma su

There are laws to protect young people.

Illustration for 青少年 (young people)

More examples

図書館には青少年向けの本がたくさんあります。to sho kan ni wa sei shō nen mu ke no hon ga ta ku sa n a ri ma su

The library has many books for young people.

Core concept

Covers the younger part of society, from children to young adults, as a single category.

Common phrases

  • 青少年向けsei shō nen mu ke

    for young people

  • 青少年の健全育成sei shō nen no ken zen iku sei

    healthy development of young people

  • 青少年問題sei shō nen mon dai

    youth issues

Similar words

若者wakamono: A young person, usually an adolescent or young adult.
若年層jakunensō: A demographic group consisting of relatively young people.

Definition in Japanese

心身が発達する段階にある若い世代の人々。shin shin ga hat tatsu su ru dan kai ni a ru waka i se dai no hito bito

Word origin

The word 青少年 (seishōnen) is a Sino-Japanese compound: 青 (sei, "youthful") modifies 少年 (shōnen, "young person"), which contains 少 (shō, "few or young") and 年 (nen, "year or age").

Usage tips

  • Unlike a term limited to children, 青少年 (seishōnen) can include adolescents and young adults, so the surrounding context determines its exact scope.

Other meanings

  • the younger generationnoun

Word lists with this word