More Than Just a Number
Age is usually calculated chronologically—the amount of time that has passed from your birth to the current date. However, this simple calculation involves some interesting complexities due to the way we track time.
Chronological vs. Biological Age
- Chronological Age: The number of years you have been alive. This is what is on your ID card.
- Biological Age: How old your cells and tissues act. Depending on genetics and lifestyle (diet, exercise, stress), your biological age can be younger or older than your calendar years.
The Leap Year Factor
A standard year is 365 days, but the earth actually takes about 365.2425 days to orbit the sun. To fix this drift, we add a "Leap Day" (February 29th) every four years. This calculator accounts for those extra days to give you a precise total of how many days you have been alive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Korean Age"? ▼
In traditional Korean culture (before June 2023), a baby was considered 1 year old at birth, and everyone turned a year older on January 1st, regardless of their birthday. This means a baby born on December 31st would be 2 years old the next day! (South Korea has since adopted the international standard used by this calculator).
Why calculate exact days? ▼
Knowing your age in days is often used for fun milestones (like your 10,000th day alive, which happens around age 27) or for specific astrological and biorhythm calculations.