三年

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word 三年. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word 三年, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say 三年 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word 三年 you have here. The definition of the word 三年 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of三年, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
三 年
さん
Grade: 1 		ねん
Grade: 1
goon

三 (san, “three”) +‎ 年 (-nen, “year”)

Pronunciation

Noun

三(さん)年(ねん) • (sannen) 

  1. three years; the third year
    三(さん)年(ねん)ぶりに回(まわ)る。
    Sannen buri ni mawaru.
    has come around after three years.
  2. (education) the third school year
    Coordinate terms: 一年, 五年, 二年, 四年, 六年
    三(さん)年(ねん)生(せい)
    sannen-sei
    a third-year student
  3. (figurative) a long period of time, several years
Usage notes

Lower secondary school (middle school, junior high school) and secondary school (high school) each last three years in the contemporary Japanese educational system.

See also

Japanese number-counter combinations for 年(ねん) (nen)
1 2 3 4 5
一(いち)年(ねん) (ichinen) 二(に)年(ねん) (ninen) 三(さん)年(ねん) (sannen) 四(よ)年(ねん) (yonen) 五(ご)年(ねん) (gonen)
6 7 8 9 10
六(ろく)年(ねん) (rokunen) 七(なな)年(ねん) (nananen)
七(しち)年(ねん) (shichinen) 		八(はち)年(ねん) (hachinen) 九(きゅう)年(ねん) (kyūnen) 十(じゅう)年(ねん) (jūnen)
100 1,000 10,000 How many?
What year?
百(ひゃく)年(ねん) (hyakunen) 千(せん)年(ねん) (sennen) 一(いち)万(まん)年(ねん) (ichimannen) 何(なん)年(ねん) (nannen)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
三 年
み
Grade: 1 		とせ
Grade: 1
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
三歳

三(み) (mi, “three”) + 年(とせ) (-tose, “year”)

Pronunciation

Noun

三(み)年(とせ) • (mitose) 

  1. three years; triennial
    • a. 10th century, 伊勢物語 (The Tales of Ise), volume 24:
      あらたまの年(とし)の三(み)とせを待(ま)ちわびてただ
      Aratama no toshi no mitose o machiwabiteta da
      We have been waiting impatiently for year three to arrive
  2. three years old
    Synonym: 三歳 (sansai)
Usage notes

The reading みとせ is less common and may be more restricted in usage than さんねん.

References

  • Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN “さんねん 【三年】”
  • Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN “みとせ 【三歳・三年】”
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia