老ける
ふける · fukeru · JLPT N1 · verb-ichidan
to age
👴 老 (old) + ける: 'to become old' — the verb form of 'ageing'
老ける is a verb built from 老 (old, aged) with the ける ending, meaning to grow old or look older. Its opposite is 若返る (to become young again).
老 — old man 耂 + 匕 (bent figure)
Originally a pictograph of an elderly person with long hair leaning on a cane. The top 耂 depicts the hair and stooped body, while 匕 at the bottom represents the cane or a bent figure. The core meaning 'old' has remained stable since oracle bone script.