आयु (aayu)

noun A formal/literary word for 'age', mostly used in official, written, or elevated speech; the everyday equivalent is उम्र (umr).
Sense 1 : age (of a person, years lived)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: उम्र (umr), वय (vay, literary)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will meet आयु (aayu) constantly on official forms, in phrases like आयु सीमा (aayu siimaa, age limit) for job applications or exams, and in formal contexts like medical or legal documents. In spoken Delhi-NCR Hindi, though, people almost always ask तुम्हारी उम्र क्या है? (tumhaarii umr kyaa hai?, 'what is your age?') rather than using आयु (aayu).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for आयु (aayu) in casual conversation where उम्र (umr) is the natural choice; आयु (aayu) sounds notably formal or bureaucratic in everyday talk, like asking someone's age on a government form rather than chatting with a friend. 2) आयु (aayu) is grammatically feminine even though it ends in उ, which can trip up learners expecting masculine agreement.
Sample Sentences:
आवेदक की आयु अठारह वर्ष से अधिक होनी चाहिए। The applicant's age must be more than eighteen years.
(aavedak kii aayu athaarah varsh se adhik honii chaahie।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
इस नौकरी के लिए आयु सीमा पैंतीस वर्ष है। The age limit for this job is thirty-five years.
(is naukrii ke lie aayu siimaa paintiis varsh hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
फॉर्म में अपनी आयु और जन्म तिथि भरें। Fill in your age and date of birth on the form.
(phorm men apnii aayu aur janm tithi bharen।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Imperative -- Voice: Active
डॉक्टर ने मरीज़ की आयु के अनुसार दवा की मात्रा तय की। The doctor decided the dosage of medicine according to the patient's age.
(doktar ne mariiz kii aayu ke anusaar davaa kii maatraa tay kii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
उस समय उसकी आयु मात्र दस वर्ष थी। At that time, his age was merely ten years.
(us samay uskii aayu maatr das varsh thii।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
यदि उसकी आयु अधिक होती, तो उसे यह पद नहीं मिलता। If his age had been higher, he would not have gotten this post.
(yadi uskii aayu adhik hotii, to use yah pad nahiin miltaa।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
कानून के अनुसार, वोट देने के लिए न्यूनतम आयु अठारह वर्ष निर्धारित की गई है। According to the law, the minimum age for voting has been fixed at eighteen years.
(kaanoon ke anusaar, vot dene ke lie nyoontam aayu athaarah varsh nirdhaarit kii gaii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
इस पद के लिए आयु सीमा में छूट दी जा सकती है। A relaxation in the age limit may be given for this post.
(is pad ke lie aayu siimaa men chhoot dii jaa saktii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
मंदिर के इस शिलालेख में राजा की आयु का उल्लेख मिलता है। A mention of the king's age is found in this temple inscription.
(mandir ke is shilaalekh men raajaa kii aayu kaa ullekh miltaa hai।)
Register: Literary -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
प्रमाण पत्र में जन्म तिथि के आधार पर आयु की गणना की जाती है। Age is calculated in the certificate on the basis of the date of birth.
(pramaan patr men janm tithi ke aadhaar par aayu kii gannaa kii jaatii hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct): आयु (aayu)
(sg.f.oblique): आयु (aayu)
(pl.f.direct): आयुएँ (aayuen)
(pl.f.oblique): आयुओं (aayuon)