# How old am I? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 31, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525 "2016-08-31T00:22:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/1 "2016-08-31T00:22:07Z")
Background: I will be 49 at the end of September. So during a casual conversation with a coworker today during lunch, he asked me how old I was. I wanted to give a simple and succinct answer. So should have I respond, “I am 48,” since I am living in my 48th year? Or should have I stated my average age, i.e. “I am 49”? ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/2 "2016-08-31T00:23:49Z")
You’re in your 49th year actually, but your age is 48. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/3 "2016-08-31T00:25:02Z")
Convention is pretty much whatever age you were at your last birthday, unless it’s perhaps within a few days. So at 48 years and 11 months, you’re still “Forty-eight.” Don’t the Japanese add a year, considering the time in utero? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/4 "2016-08-31T00:26:32Z")
For a casual conversation, you can say which ever the hell you feel like. If you are being questioned by a cop who is looking at your license, I would say “48, but 49 next month” lest you get accused of the robbery and murder at the liquor store around the block again. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/5 "2016-08-31T00:27:08Z")
You’re only as old as you feel. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/6 "2016-08-31T00:30:06Z")
1.5437 gigaseconds. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/7 "2016-08-31T00:52:56Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Convention is pretty much whatever age you were at your last birthday, unless it’s perhaps within a few days. So at 48 years and 11 months, you’re still “Forty-eight.” > > Don’t the Japanese add a year, considering the time in utero? [It’s a general Asian thing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asian_age_reckoning), which Japan has long abandoned, but I suspect you’re thinking of Korea. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/8 "2016-08-31T00:57:50Z")
It’s a difficult question. I usually can’t remember my age. Because it changes every year. And I just don’t keep track of it. I normally tell them the year I was born, and they can do the math. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/9 "2016-08-31T01:41:25Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Background: I will be 49 at the end of September. > So during a casual conversation with a coworker today during lunch, he asked me how old I was. > > I wanted to give a simple and succinct answer. > > So should have I respond, “I am 48,” since I am living in my 48th year? Or should have I stated my average age, i.e. “I am 49”? You could either say “I’m 48” or “I’m turning 49 next month.” ---
**Author:** ![Vicsage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e68b1a/32.png) [@Vicsage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicsage)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/10 "2016-08-31T01:58:45Z")
Just say it this way, “I’m 48 of your Earth years old”. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/11 "2016-08-31T02:01:58Z")
Just say you’re 48. Saying what age you’ll be at some point in the future makes you sound like a toddler. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/12 "2016-08-31T02:31:47Z")
I round up and tell people I’m 100. ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/13 "2016-08-31T02:51:43Z")
I hate when moms say, and it always seems to be moms, “she’ll be (age) in December.” So? I didn’t ask that, I asked how old she is. Tell them what you are now. I would never add a year on purpose, even if it will be true in a few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/14 "2016-08-31T03:32:21Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > 1.5437 gigaseconds. What the hell is a jiga-second? ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/15 "2016-08-31T03:39:19Z")
I would asked the person how old they’re . 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/16 "2016-08-31T04:07:20Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > What the hell is a jiga-second? What is one second for the Jigga, Jay-Z, is eons for mere mortals. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/17 "2016-08-31T04:39:59Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > What is one second for the Jigga, Jay-Z, is eons for mere mortals. Whoosh! Remember in _Back to the Future_ when Marty asked Doc, “What the hell is a jiga-watt?” ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/18 "2016-08-31T05:08:35Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Whoosh! Remember in _Back to the Future_ when Marty asked Doc, “What the hell is a jiga-watt?” Not a whoosh, it didn’t reach 88 mph. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/19 "2016-08-31T05:20:34Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > 1.5437 gigaseconds. 1.57 x 10[SUP]17[/SUP] shakes of a lambs tail. Or 3.05 x 10[SUP]-5[/SUP] parsecs in the Sol-centered Earth-moving reference frame. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2016, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525/20 "2016-08-31T10:15:12Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > 1.57 x 10[SUP]17[/SUP] shakes of a lambs tail. Or 3.05 x 10[SUP]-5[/SUP] parsecs in the Sol-centered Earth-moving reference frame. 1.28 kilofortnights. 7.71 meters of facial hair, using the standardized beard-second of 5 nm. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-am-i/764525.md?page=2)