年功

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: Written 年功 and read ねんこう, it denotes years of service and accumulated experience as a basis for workplace status or assignment.
• Basic usage: It appears in reviewing a seniority-only system and in considering service length when dividing roles.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Service history rather than age alone
  • The focus is tenure and experience within an organization, not merely biological age.