平年

• Reading: へいねん
• Romaji: heinen
• Kanji breakdown: 平 (hei/tai/hira) — flat, ordinary, average; 年 (nen/toshi) — year
• Pronunciation: /heː.neɴ/

Meaning

Non-leap year; a normal year with 365 days. Also used to mean an average year in weather and agriculture.

A noun with two main uses. In calendar terms, it refers to a common year (not a leap year), which has 365 days instead of 366. In meteorology and agriculture, 平年 means an average or normal year, used as a baseline for comparing temperature, rainfall, and crop yields. 平年並み means about average.

Examples

1. 今年は平年なので二月は二十八日までだ。 This year is not a leap year, so February only goes up to the 28th.
2. 今年の気温は平年並みだそうだ。 I hear this year's temperatures are about average.
3. 平年に比べて今年の桜の開花は早かった。 Compared to an average year, the cherry blossoms bloomed early this year.

Usage Guide

Context: calendar, weather, agriculture

Tone: informational

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese 平 (flat, ordinary, average) and 年 (year). The character 平 conveys the sense of normal or standard, distinguishing it from 閏年 (leap year).

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal