齡

Means “age, years of a person’s life.”

Specifically refers to the number of years one has lived.

A phono-semantic compound:

齒 (“tooth”) - provides the semantic element;

令 (ryeong, “to cause, to order”) - provides the phonetic element.

In ancient times, the number of teeth was associated with age, hence the use of 齒 in the character.

Common in compounds:

年齡 (연령) - age, years;

高齡 (고령) - advanced age, elderly;

齡期 (령기) - period of life, lifespan stage;

Often used in formal or literary contexts instead of the simpler 나이.