# Quick Japanese (kanji) question **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 25, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-japanese-kanji-question/461231 "2008-08-25T19:33:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Helena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c68b51/32.png) [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-japanese-kanji-question/461231/1 "2008-08-25T19:33:52Z")
(I have no idea if this goes here or not) We have a friend turning sixty this week. He spent ten years in Japan, so I thought it would be fun to make him a Year of the Rat cake with kanji on it. Does 六十年 work? Should it be 六十歲? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-japanese-kanji-question/461231/2 "2008-08-25T21:45:52Z")
[QUOTE=Helena] 六十歲? [/QUOTE] I just looked through Google Japan’s images of birthday cakes and the standard seems to be: お父さん おたんじょうび　おめでとう Or ６０さい おたんじょうび　おめでとう Kanji are hard to write in icing, so hiragana seems to be the order of the day unless it’s a simple character. ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-japanese-kanji-question/461231/3 "2008-08-25T21:59:02Z")
お父さん means dad, so I would not recommend that unless he is your dad. 六十歳 means 60 years of age. The kanji is a bit tricky so you could put 六十さい as SageRat mentioned. 六十年 just means 60 years. おめでとう (omedetou) is the standard congratulations so you could add that too, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-japanese-kanji-question/461231/4 "2008-08-25T22:36:04Z")
[QUOTE=Tanaqui] お父さん means dad, so I would not recommend that unless he is your dad. [/QUOTE] Yes, sorry I should have pointed that out. I was assuming the OP understands Japanese so I just used a fill-in word figuring they would catch it. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-japanese-kanji-question/461231/5 "2008-08-26T01:35:03Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] Yes, sorry I should have pointed that out. I was assuming the OP understands Japanese so I just used a fill-in word figuring they would catch it. [/QUOTE] If not, you just missed a golden opportunity to get **Helena** to write, “Warning: Cake is poisonous” on the birthday cake. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-japanese-kanji-question/461231/6 "2008-08-26T01:54:46Z")
注: 毒入リ 死ぬよ。まじ。 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-japanese-kanji-question/461231/7 "2008-08-26T02:27:34Z")
How well does he speak, understand Japanese? Japanese have special names for certain ages, including 60, which is called as follows: 還暦（かんれき）_kanreki_ However, if he doesn’t understand Japanese well, he may not understand this. ---
**Author:** ![Helena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c68b51/32.png) [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-japanese-kanji-question/461231/8 "2008-08-26T03:29:51Z")
Thanks! I’m not writing it myself–I’m doing one of those “picture on a cake” things. **Tokyo Player** –I think he’s pretty conversant, but I don’t know if he’d know that or not! Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-japanese-kanji-question/461231/9 "2008-08-26T03:32:54Z")
[QUOTE=TokyoPlayer] 還暦（かんれき）_kanreki_ [/QUOTE] By the way, the 60th birthday is a special event in Japan, which is why it has its own word. There’s even a particular costume men wear for their _kanreki_: [http://www.marumi-bridal.co.jp/costume/tyouzyu/red.jpg](http://www.marumi-bridal.co.jp/costume/tyouzyu/red.jpg) The colour is important, red is for 60, purple for 70, 77 and 80, gold for 88 and 90 and white for 99 years.