How to Say ‘How old (polite)’ in Japanese
おいくつ
o iku tsu
[oh ee-koo tsoo]
🇯🇵 In Japan: [おいくつ] is a polite way to ask age, but age can feel personal depending on the situation. In Japan it's common enough in introductions in schools, classes, or friendly small talk, but less natural in some professional settings.
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[oh]
honorific prefix (polite ‘o-’)
A polite prefix added to some words to make the expression more respectful. In おいくつ (how old), お makes the question sound polite.
おいくつですか。
How old are you?
いく
iku
[ee-koo]
how many; how old (part of おいくつ)
From いくつ, used to ask an amount/number; with お + いくつ it becomes a polite way to ask someone’s age.
おいくつですか。
How old are you?
つ
tsu
[tsoo]
counter ending (part of いくつ)
The つ is the classic general counter used in いくつ (how many). In おいくつ, it helps form the polite ‘how old/how many’ question.
おいくつですか。
How old are you?
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