生年月日

• Reading: せいねんがっぴ
• Romaji: seinengappi
• Kanji breakdown: 生 (sei) — birth, life; 年 (nen) — year; 月 (gatsu) — month; 日 (pi/nichi) — day
• Pronunciation: /se.i.ne.n.ɡa.p.pi/

Meaning

Date of birth; the year, month, and day a person was born.

A formal compound noun used on official documents, forms, and applications. Broken down: 生年 (birth year) + 月日 (month and day). In Japan, dates are often given in the Japanese era system (令和, 平成, etc.) on official forms alongside the Western calendar.

Examples

1. 生年月日を書いてください。 Please write your date of birth.
2. パスポートの申請には生年月日が必要です。 Your date of birth is required for a passport application.
3. 生年月日を間違えて書いてしまった。 I accidentally wrote the wrong date of birth.

Usage Guide

Context: official documents, applications, identification

Tone: formal

Origin & History

A four-kanji compound: 生 (birth), 年 (year), 月 (month), 日 (day). A straightforward descriptive compound listing the components of a birth date in order from largest to smallest unit.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal