世代

• Reading: せだい
• Romaji: sedai
• Kanji breakdown: 世 (se) — world, generation, society; 代 (dai) — era, age, generation, substitute
• Pronunciation: /se.da.i/

Meaning

Generation. A group of people born and living around the same time, or the average period between parent and child.

A noun used to describe age cohorts or generational groups. Extremely common in social commentary, marketing, and daily conversation. Common compounds include 若い世代 (wakai sedai, younger generation), 世代交代 (sedai koutai, generational change), and 世代間 (sedaikan, intergenerational). Also used for technological generations, e.g. 第五世代 (dai go sedai, fifth generation).

Examples

1. 若い世代はSNSで情報を得ることが多い。 Younger generations tend to get their information from social media.
2. 世代によって価値観が大きく異なる。 Values differ greatly depending on the generation.
3. 次の世代に美しい環境を残したい。 I want to leave a beautiful environment for the next generation.

Usage Guide

Context: sociology, daily life, marketing, technology

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 世 (se, world/generation) + 代 (dai, era/age/generation). Literally 'worldly era' — the span of time associated with one cohort of people.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal