<p>The answer up there is good. I just want to add a little bit about how a nurse ask your age. In the hospital or police station or other kinds of bureaux, you are usually asked "您/你的年龄是多少？"or just "多少岁？".</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-21T01:25:41.177Z
2018-03-21T01:25:41.177Z
OhLook
<p>There are several ways to ask someone's age and they vary from neutral to very polite. "他几岁" implies that the answer is within 1-9 range, since 几 should not be used for numbers greater than 9. </p>

<p>As for other ways to ask the age question (all of them apply to adults):</p>

<ul>
<li>你多大? - neutral</li>
<li>您多大年纪? - polite, usually used for eldery people</li>
<li>您贵庚？ - very polite and very formal</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-20T07:28:25.830Z
Should I say 你年纪多大 or 你多大年纪?
Blaszard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-20T15:22:58.137Z
I am fairly certain that both are ok.
kash
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-21T07:13:29.123Z
Also, it might be politer to add a *今年* when asking.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-19T19:49:20.160Z
2018-03-20T07:28:51.880Z
2018-03-20T07:28:51.880Z
kash
<p>There are several expressions to ask someone's age. That which I am most familiar with is “他几岁？”. However, I am informed that this can only be used for children (I think the problem is the 几， which implies a small number). How can I ask someone's age if they are an adult?  Or perhaps asking how old someone was when something happened? </p>

<p>For example:</p>

<ul>
<li>How old is he (e.g. your father) now?</li>
<li>How old was she when the accident happened?</li>
<li>How old are you? (say, in the hospital, a nurse might ask a patient)</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-19T21:09:38.287Z
search web using e.g. "asking s.o.'s age in Chinese"
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-21T08:29:30.943Z
As a side note, some people may prefer not asking ages directly: They use "你属什么的" to ask for 生肖 and then guess one's age based on it.
tsh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-23T01:26:55.777Z
看起来好年轻啊，如果对方愿意回答的话，可能会说都已经40了。
Daniel Yang
<word-choice><phrase>
Asking someone's age
# Asking someone's age

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-03-19)

There are several expressions to ask someone's age. That which I am most familiar with is “他几岁？”. However, I am informed that this can only be used for children (I think the problem is the 几， which implies a small number). How can I ask someone's age if they are an adult? Or perhaps asking how old someone was when something happened?

For example:

* How old is he (e.g. your father) now?
* How old was she when the accident happened?
* How old are you? (say, in the hospital, a nurse might ask a patient)

**Tags:** word-choice, phrase

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: search web using e.g. "asking s.o.'s age in Chinese"  
> **username_2**: As a side note, some people may prefer not asking ages directly: They use "你属什么的" to ask for 生肖 and then guess one's age based on it.  
> **username_3**: 看起来好年轻啊，如果对方愿意回答的话，可能会说都已经40了。  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2018-03-19. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

There are several ways to ask someone's age and they vary from neutral to very polite. "他几岁" implies that the answer is within 1-9 range, since 几 should not be used for numbers greater than 9.

As for other ways to ask the age question (all of them apply to adults):

* 你多大? - neutral
* 您多大年纪? - polite, usually used for eldery people
* 您贵庚？ - very polite and very formal

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: Should I say 你年纪多大 or 你多大年纪?  
> **username_5**: I am fairly certain that both are ok.  
> **username_7**: Also, it might be politer to add a *今年* when asking.  

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### Answer by username_4 on 2018-03-21. Score: 2

The answer up there is good. I just want to add a little bit about how a nurse ask your age. In the hospital or police station or other kinds of bureaux, you are usually asked "您/你的年龄是多少？"or just "多少岁？".


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