幼年時代 Childhood

Meaning

Primary

Childhood

Alternative

Early Childhood

Word Type

noun

Explanation

You have 時代 as a "period" of time you're talking about. What period? The infancy years. Those years are not just when you're a baby, but when you were growing up too. That was your childhood.

幼年時代 specifically means your early childhood years. It's a formal, slightly stiff word you mostly see in writing, often appearing in literature, autobiographies, or memoirs looking back on someone's younger years.

Reading

ようねんじだい

Explanation

This is a jukugo word, which usually means on'yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you'll know how to read this as well.

Context

Context Sentences

『幼年時代』って、トルストイの幼年時代の思い出について書かれた本じゃないんですか？

Isn't "Childhood" a book about Tolstoy's childhood memories?

その時私は、あの幸せな幼年時代は、もう二度と帰ってはこないんだと実感しました。

At that moment I realized that those happy childhood days would never come back.

幼年時代の夏は、いつも九州の従兄弟のところで過ごしたから、ヒラタクワガタは思い出の虫なのだ。

I always spent my childhood summers at my cousin's place in Kyushu, so the flat stag beetle is a memorable bug for me.

Kanji Composition

1. 幼

   よう Infancy
2. 年

   ねん Year
3. 時

   じ Time
4. 代

   だい Substitute