Big Birthdays in Japan

People expect to and do live a long time in Japan.  Average life expectancy is 87.1 years for women and 81.1 years for men, although many people live much longer. As a result, there are some birthdays that are considered special. 

還暦 Kanreki, 60 years old

Reaching age 60 means completing the 60 year cycle of the 12 zodiac animals and the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) associated with each. The tradition is for the 60 year old to wear a red vest, similar to those worn by babies, to symbolize the return to the beginning of the 60 year cycle. 

古希 Koki, 70 years old

Koki comes from a poem by 8th century Chinese poet Du Fu, stating it is rare to reach 70 years of age. Currently that is not true.  

喜寿 Kiju, 77 years old 

This birthday meaning is a play on words/kanji characters. The kanji character 喜 means happiness, but can also be written in the abbreviated form 㐂, which repeats the character 七, meaning seven. The second kanji 寿, means both congratulations and longevity. 

傘寿 Sanju, 80 years old 

The abbreviated kanji for 傘   is 仐, which looks like 八十 (hachijuu) or the number 80 when written in characters. The second kanji 寿, means both congratulations and longevity. 

米寿 Beiju, 88 years old

Take apart the character 米, and it is possible to create 八十八 , which is 88 in kanji form. The second kanji 寿, means both congratulations and longevity. 

卒寿 Sotsuju, 90 years old

The abbreviated kanji for 卒 is 卆, which looks like 九十  or 90. The second kanji 寿, means both congratulations and longevity. 

白寿 Hakuju, 99 years old

The kanji for 100 is 百, so take away one top stroke (which also represents the character 一, one), to get 白, which, although it usually means “white,” here represents 99. The second kanji 寿, means both congratulations and longevity. 

百寿 Hyakuju, 100 years old

This simply uses the character for 100. The second kanji 寿, means both congratulations and longevity.