year

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 年 means a year; its readings include kun-reading とし and on-reading ねん.
• Basic usage: 半年(はんとし) means half a year, while 年齢(ねんれい) means age.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A period of time and a person's age
  • 半年が過ぎ describes half a year passing, while 半年かけて means over a period of six months. The former describes elapsed time; the latter describes the time spent repairing a house.
  • 年齢 is the age entered on a form or compared among people. Unlike the period expressed by 半年, it concerns how old someone is.