老人
ろうじん
roujin
= old person; elderly person; senior (formal/written)
老人 (roujin) means old person or elderly person — the more formal, written-style word compared to the everyday 年寄り (toshiyori). Roujin appears in official compound terms like 老人ホーム (roujin hoomu — nursing home) and 老人福祉法 (Roujin Fukushi Hou — the Senior Welfare Law), but can sound clinical or distancing in direct conversation. Understanding when to use roujin vs. toshiyori vs. o-toshiyori is part of Japanese age-related vocabulary.
Roujin (老人) is a formal noun for an elderly or old person. Common compound usage: 老人ホーム (roujin hoomu — nursing home/care home), 老人福祉 (roujin fukushi — elderly welfare), 老人会 (roujin-kai — senior citizen group/association), 老人性 (rouji n-sei — relating to old age, senile). Roujin carries a neutral-to-clinical tone in formal and written contexts. For polite everyday speech: お年寄り (o-toshiyori), 高齢者 (koureisha — senior citizen), シニア (shinia). Related: 老齢 (rourei — old age), 老化 (rouka — aging/deterioration), 長老 (chourou — elder, respected senior).
老人 (roujin) is more formal and written than 年寄り (toshiyori). You’ll see roujin in official signs (老人ホーム), legal documents (老人福祉法), and written journalism, but in conversation it can sound cold or distancing when referring to someone in front of you. 老人扱い (roujin-atsukai — treating someone as an old person, being patronizing toward the elderly) is itself a concept in Japanese social discourse — treating someone as if they’re incompetent because of age. Increasingly, 高齢者 (koureisha) is the preferred neutral term in official and media contexts.
老人 (roujin) combines 老 (rou — old age, to age) + 人 (jin/hito — person). The 老 character depicts an elderly person bending with age — showing white hair and a cane. It appears in 老眼 (rougan — farsightedness from aging), 老後 (rougo — one’s later years, retirement years), 養老 (yourou — care of the elderly). 老人 is the direct compound: ‘old person.’
Everyday use
近所の老人会が毎月集まって食事会を開いている。
Kinjo no roujin-kai ga maitsuki atsumatte shokuji-kai wo hiraite iru.
The neighborhood senior citizens’ association holds a dinner gathering every month.
Casual / Social Media
祖父が老人ホームに入ることになった。さびしいけど本人も納得してる
Sofu ga roujin hoomu ni hairu koto ni natta. Sabishii kedo honnin mo nattoku shiteru
My grandfather has decided to move into a nursing home. It’s sad but he’s at peace with the decision himself
Formal / Cultural context
「老人福祉法」（1963年制定）は老人ホームの設置基準・入所要件・費用負担等を規定する日本の高齢者福祉の根幹法であるが、高齢化の急速な進行に伴い介護保険法（2000年施行）が実務的機能を補完・代替する形となり、両法は高齢者福祉の二本柱として機能している。
‘Roujin Fukushi-hou’ (1963-nen seitei) wa roujin hoomu no setchi kijun nyuusho youken hiyou futan-tou wo kitei suru Nihon no koureisha fukushi no konkan-hou de aru ga, kourei-ka no kyuusoku na shinkou ni tomonai kaigo hoken-hou (2000-nen shikou) ga jitsumu-teki kinou wo hokan daitai suru katachi to nari, ryohou wa koureisha fukushi no nihon-bashira toshite kinoushite iru.
The ‘Senior Welfare Law’ (enacted 1963), which stipulates standards for establishing nursing homes, admission requirements, and cost burden, is Japan’s foundational elderly welfare law, but with the rapid advance of aging, the Long-Term Care Insurance Law (effective 2000) has come to supplement and substitute its practical functions, and both laws now function as the two pillars of elderly welfare.
老人ホーム (roujin hoomu — nursing home) is a term most Japanese families encounter as parents and grandparents age. Japanese attitudes toward nursing home care have shifted significantly over recent decades: traditionally, 親孝行 (oyakokou — filial piety) meant caring for elderly parents at home, and nursing homes carried a stigma of abandonment. However, with more women in the workforce and increasing longevity creating complex care needs, 老人ホーム have become mainstream. Modern facilities range from basic municipal homes to luxury private facilities.
老人 as a word reflects Japan’s broader linguistic navigation of age and respect. The government and media have moved toward 高齢者 (koureisha) as the preferred neutral term, while 老人 persists in compound words and formal legal documents. Elderly people themselves often use 年寄り (toshiyori) or self-deprecating phrases like もう年ですから (mou toshi desu kara — I’m getting old, so…). The linguistic choice signals the relationship and context — 老人 is institutional, 年寄り is human.
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