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Is it natural to say 「おいくつですか」 to children who are around 10, or younger?
Then, just like in Western culture, above a certain age I'm sure it is
impolite or creepy to even ask another person's age. Therefore, I would expect
to never say 「何歳ですか。」

About 10 years old is the cut-off age for asking another person's age? And the
clever / funny way to ask is 「おいくつですか。」

correct?
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2020-03-10T03:40:58.127
74931
2020-03-11T02:59:27.310
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set-phrases
About what age to stop using おいくつですか？
Though Japanese stops using -つ for concrete numbers at ten, the question word
いくつ does not have upper limit. You can even use it to ask how many stars are
in the sky.

So, there is no retirement age of おいくつですか either. It remains the normal
preferable choice to ask an unfamiliar person their age for all age groups,
unless other consideration may be involved.
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2020-03-10T04:30:11.210
74934
2020-03-10T04:30:11.210
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It appears to me that you have some misunderstandings about おいくつ...

> Is it natural to say 「おいくつですか」 to children who are around 10, or younger?

No, it isn't. おいくつ is an **honorific** expression. It's a respectful and
formal way of saying 何歳 or いくつ, and it's funny to say おいくつですか to a small
child. Usually "いくつ?" or "何歳?" is enough to a small child. On the other hand,
saying 何歳(ですか) to a mature adult can sound blunt and impolite, but it largely
depends on the relationship between the listener and you.

> About what age to stop using おいくつですか？

Provided you have a good reason to ask one's age, you do not have to stop
using おいくつですか even if the listener is over 100. Instead, you should **start**
using おいくつですか when the listener is old enough. (Of course there are even
politer expressions like お歳を伺ってもよろしいでしょうか.)

> About 10 years old is the cut-off age for asking another person's age?

Asking the age of an adult for no good reason can be rude by itself, but
that's a sociological problem which is out of the scope of this site. (Well,
talking about age is not recommended, but it's not a taboo, either. I know the
rough age of all the friends and colleagues of mine.)

> And the clever / funny way to ask is 「おいくつですか。」

おいくつですか is not funny at all if used in an appropriate situation. What made you
think it's funny? "Clever" is not an appropriate adjective, either; it's just
a basic honorific word every adult should be able to use fluently. A "clever"
way of knowing one's age is like talking about their favorite game/manga/anime
in childhood :)
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2020-03-10T10:57:56.477
74937
2020-03-11T02:59:27.310
2020-03-11T02:59:27.310
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