Years Old, Age

Interesting Fact

For much of modern Japanese history, people traditionally used 数え年 (kazoedoshi), or “counting age,” rather than the Western-style system used today. Under this system, a baby was considered one year old at birth, and everyone became one year older at New Year's Day, rather than on their birthday. So a baby born on December 31 could be considered two years old the very next day! 🎍😲 Japan officially adopted the modern birthday-based system in the late 19th century, but the old system still occasionally appears in traditional and religious contexts.