Etymology
From Jahr n (“year”) and -ig (“-ous”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈjɛːʁɪç/ (standard; used naturally in western Germany and Switzerland)
- IPA(key): /ˈjeːʁɪç/ (overall more common; particularly northern and eastern regions)
- IPA(key): /ˈjɛːʁɪk/ (common form in southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland)
- Hyphenation: jäh‧rig
Suffix
-jährig
- years old
- years lasting
2010, Der Spiegel, number 49/2010, page 80:Nach dreijähriger Flaute werden in Deutschland erstmals wieder deutlich mehr Wohnungen und Häuser gebaut.- After a slack period lasting three years, for the first time there are significantly more apartments and houses constructed again in Germany.
Usage notes
- If combined with a number written with digits, a hyphen may be used in the compound word (e.g. 3jährig or 3-jährig); if combined with a word, no hyphen is used (e.g. dreijährig). However, the spelling reform rules of 1996 etc. proscribe spellings like 3jährig and prescribe spellings like 3-jährig and dreijährig.