In English, we can refer to an old person using "elderly", or "aged person".
Comparatively, "aged person" would be more _neutral_ than "elderly", which
carries positive connotations.

As for Japanese, does the word [年寄り](http://www.edrdg.org/cgi-
bin/wwwjdic/wwwjdic?1MUJ@toshiyori) carry such positive connotations?

Or is it a neutral term alike "aged person" in English?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-15T09:13:46.923
14491
2014-02-16T06:13:20.677
264
question
usage meaning nuances
Is 年寄り "neutral" or "positive"?
I am not a native speaker of Japanese but I know 年寄り as a neutral word, which
gets used not just in conversation but in notices. I took the following from
SpaceALC:

> ここはお年寄りや体の不自由な人のための優先席です。
>
> PRIORITY SEATING FOR SENIOR CITIZENS AND DISABLED PERSONS

I think you just need to be sensitive when referring to people's age, as you
would in English eg use お年寄り if you feel awkward and want to express some
reserve.

FWIW, I don't really see a difference between aged-person and elderly but
these things vary from place to place and change with time. (My aged mother
would not thank you to refer to her using either word though neither word's
roots have a -ve connotation.)
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-15T11:10:30.403
14492
2014-02-15T19:20:24.740
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
-1
1556
14491
answer
年寄り is pretty neutral, I think. 年配 is respectful and 老人 is a little more slang
(from what I can remember).
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-15T14:05:45.120
14494
2014-02-15T14:05:45.120
4689
14491
answer
there are also 老害 which means trouble causing elderly

a contempt way to call お年寄り
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-16T06:13:20.677
14507
2014-02-16T06:13:20.677
4696
14491
answer