also: おう
noun
old man; venerable gentleman
A respectful or literary term for an elderly man. Often used in traditional contexts or to show deference.
村の翁が昔話を語ってくれた。
The old man of the village told us old tales.
Only with reading おう
Honorific suffix attached to names or titles of respected elderly men, e.g., 田中翁 (Venerable Tanaka).
田中翁は地域の発展に尽くされた。
Venerable Tanaka devoted himself to the development of the region.
The kanji 翁 originally depicted an old man with a feather headdress, symbolizing wisdom and age. The reading おきな is native Japanese, while おう is the Sino-Japanese reading used in compounds and honorific suffixes.