Translation guide
Expressing the concept of a long life in Japanese, from everyday wishes to formal congratulations and idiomatic expressions.
Expressing a wish or hope that someone lives a long life, often in greetings or toasts.
A polite and common way to wish someone a long life. Literally 'please live long'.
おばあちゃん、長生きしてくださいね。
Grandma, please live a long life.
A more formal and heartfelt wish, often used in letters or speeches. 'May you stay healthy and live long.'
お元気で長生きされますように。
May you stay healthy and live a long life.
Formal expression meaning 'I pray for your longevity.' Used in formal greetings or ceremonies.
ご長寿を心よりお祈り申し上げます。
I sincerely pray for your longevity.
Talking about a person who has lived to an old age, often with respect.
Noun meaning 'longevity'. Used in formal contexts, statistics, or respectful descriptions.
彼は長寿の家系だ。
He comes from a family known for longevity.
Verb phrase meaning 'lived a long life'. Casual and commonly used in conversation.
祖父は95歳まで長生きした。
My grandfather lived a long life, until 95.
Noun meaning 'long life' or 'longevity'. Slightly more literary than 長寿.
Referring to specific celebrations or ages associated with long life in Japanese culture.
Celebration of one's 60th birthday, marking a full zodiac cycle. A major longevity milestone.
父の還暦のお祝いに赤いちゃんちゃんこを贈った。
For my father's 60th birthday celebration, we gave him a red vest.
Celebration of one's 88th birthday. The character 米 can be broken down into 八十八 (88).
Celebration of one's 99th birthday. 白 (white) resembles 百 (100) minus one stroke.
Using fixed expressions that convey the idea of a long life or longevity.
Idiom meaning 'eternal youth and longevity'. Often used in wishes or mythical contexts.
不老長寿の薬を求めて旅に出た。
He set out on a journey in search of the elixir of eternal youth and longevity.
Proverb: 'Cranes live for a thousand years, turtles for ten thousand.' Symbolizes wishing for a very long life.
結婚式で「鶴は千年、亀は万年」と祝辞を述べた。
At the wedding, he gave a speech wishing them a long life, saying 'May you live as long as the crane and the turtle.'
Referring to the abstract idea of living a long time, often in health or lifestyle contexts.
The most common and versatile term for 'long life'. Can be used as a noun or verb.
長生きの秘訣は適度な運動だ。
The secret to a long life is moderate exercise.
Means 'lifespan' or 'life expectancy'. Often used in scientific or statistical contexts.
長生き is the most colloquial and versatile term for 'long life'. 長寿 is more formal and often used in respectful contexts or statistics. 長命 is somewhat literary and less common in daily speech.
Japanese culture has specific names for milestone birthdays after 60, such as 還暦 (60), 古希 (70), 喜寿 (77), 傘寿 (80), 米寿 (88), 卒寿 (90), 白寿 (99). These are often celebrated with family gatherings and special gifts.
長命の秘訣は何ですか？
What is the secret to a long life?
We celebrated my grandmother's 88th birthday as a family.
The person who reached their 99th birthday is very healthy.
The average lifespan of Japanese people is among the highest in the world.