Conversation

Notices

1. Embed this notice
   マリオ (Mario Menti) (mario@neko.cat)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Sep-2023 16:19:41 JST マリオ (Mario Menti)

   #JapaneseLanguage question: what is more common in Japan, using Western dates or era dates? Would it be normal for me to say 昭和三十九年に年生まれだ instead of 1964年生まれた？

   • Embed this notice
     Richard Medhurst (richardmedh@famichiki.jp)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Sep-2023 16:33:51 JST Richard Medhurst

     in reply to

     @mario The Japanese dates are still often seen on forms, but it seems like they're slowly becoming less common.

     Don't remember it coming up in my conversations that much to be honest. People use the less specific 昭和生まれ though, if I have heard it.

     If I wanted to say it in a conversation unrelated to forms, I guess I'd go with the Western style myself.

   • Embed this notice
     Artist Tomo (artisttomo@mstdn.jp)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Sep-2023 16:33:55 JST Artist Tomo

     in reply to

     @mario I think depending on the generation or how you grew up with. My mother in 80s, she tends to say her birth year in Showa. I was born in Showa too but I started using western year since I went to the US when I was in a junior high school. Obviously it is easier to count your age with western year so I prefer using it.

   • Embed this notice
     マリオ (Mario Menti) (mario@neko.cat)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Sep-2023 16:34:01 JST マリオ (Mario Menti)

     in reply to

     • Richard Medhurst

     @richardmedh thanks!

   • Embed this notice
     マリオ (Mario Menti) (mario@neko.cat)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Sep-2023 16:34:09 JST マリオ (Mario Menti)

     in reply to

     • Artist Tomo

     @Artisttomo thanks!

   • Embed this notice
     マリオ (Mario Menti) (mario@neko.cat)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Sep-2023 18:42:35 JST マリオ (Mario Menti)

     in reply to

     • Paul

     @threedaymonk thanks!

   • Embed this notice
     Paul (threedaymonk@sonomu.club)'s status on Wednesday, 20-Sep-2023 18:42:37 JST Paul

     in reply to

     @mario
     In general life, I think Western dates are more common, but governmental bureaucracy more often uses era.

     Using era for date of birth in conversation is pretty common among my age group (you might also see it written as e.g. S39 in your case) but I'm not sure about younger people.