How Old Is Maomao Apothecary Diaries?

Maomao is generally 17 years old when the story begins, staying around 17 to 18 across the early arcs as time quietly passes between palace cases. The reason you see different numbers online is that the series rarely pauses to “announce birthdays,” and some summaries mix timeline points or use simplified age rounding.

At ComicK, we pin down the most consistent canon range, explain where “16” and “18” claims come from, and clarify what her age actually changes in the story: Maomao may be a late-teen, but her mindset is sharply adult because survival in the Inner Court rewards logic, caution, and competence, not innocence.

How Old Is Maomao Apothecary Diaries? The short, correct answer

Maomao is 17 at the beginning of The Apothecary Diaries. In the early story stretch covered by the first major arcs, she is typically discussed as 17, with some readers interpreting her as approaching 18 if they assume more time passes between cases.

If you see other numbers, the most common reasons are:

• a summary using a different age-counting convention
• a database simplifying her age into a clean round figure
• a reader referencing a later point in the timeline without specifying it

Why Maomao’s age is confusing

Maomao’s age becomes a frequently searched question because The Apothecary Diaries is written like court fiction, not modern school-life. The story cares more about rank, survival, and political danger than about birthday milestones.

Here are the practical reasons the internet cannot settle on one number:

The series does not “announce ages” repeatedly

You do not get constant reminders like “17-year-old Maomao did X today.” Once her age is established, the narrative expects you to carry it, and then it focuses on cases, court dynamics, and consequences.

Time passage is implied rather than measured

Maomao solves multiple incidents, meets different factions, and experiences shifting seasons and routines, but the story does not always attach a “three months later” caption. If you binge-watch or binge-read, everything can feel like it happened in a short span even when the world suggests longer.

Different summaries use different standards

Some sources state her age as a fixed number at debut. Some state her age in the “main arc people remember.” Some list an age range to cover multiple arcs. And some sites choose the most “marketable” simple figure and publish it without context.

Age-counting conventions can shift numbers by about one year

In historical or historical-inspired settings, fans sometimes discuss “counting age” versus modern birthday-based age. That difference is small, but it is enough to create comment fights.

Maomao’s age in the anime timeline

Most readers asking this question want the anime answer first because it is the most visible adaptation.

At the beginning of the story

Maomao is generally understood to be 17 at the start. This fits how she is treated socially: young, low-status, and still at an age where people underestimate her, yet old enough to be working and managing herself in a harsh environment.

During the early arcs

Across the early cases and court shifts, Maomao is still discussed as 17, with the possibility of being close to 18 depending on how you interpret the passage of time.

A useful way to phrase it in a stable, copy-ready way is:
Maomao is 17 at the start and remains around 17 through the early story, with some viewers placing her near 18 as time passes.

Why the anime makes her feel older than 17 sometimes

Even when her age is late-teen, Maomao reads older because she has adult responsibilities and a clinical worldview.

• She has professional competence in pharmacy and diagnosis.
• She speaks bluntly and pragmatically, not like a sheltered teen.
• She grew up in an environment where mistakes can cost safety, money, or life.
• She has a high tolerance for discomfort and a low tolerance for nonsense.

So if you watch and think “she feels 20,” that is about maturity and life experience, not the canon number.

Maomao’s age in the light novel and manga timeline

The cleanest way to think about Maomao’s age across formats is as a progression rather than a single static label.

Early story phase

In the earliest volumes and arcs, Maomao is consistently treated as 17.

As the timeline advances

Later arcs allow for more visible time passage. That is where you will see more readers describing her as 18. The story is long-running and event-dense, so it is natural that time moves forward, but the exact “birthday moment” is not always framed as a headline.

Why manga readers disagree more often

Manga chapter grouping can blur time. When you read in large batches, an arc that might represent months can feel like a weekend. That perception shift is why you see more variance in manga discussions even when the underlying timeline is compatible.

What Maomao’s age tells you about her character

If the exact number is 17, why does the author choose that?

It places Maomao at a believable competence threshold

She is old enough to have learned a craft, built habits, and developed expertise, but young enough that she is still vulnerable within the court hierarchy.

Maomao’s competence is a defining trait. A much younger age would strain believability. A much older age would change the social dynamics, especially how others dismiss her and how she navigates danger.

It reinforces the theme of survival over innocence

Maomao is not a “protected heroine.” Her setting forces her to be practical. A late-teen age makes her survival mindset impressive while keeping it credible in a world that can be cruel to people with no power.

It sharpens the contrast between her status and her intelligence

She is treated as disposable labor, yet she can outthink people above her station. That contrast works best when she is young enough to be underestimated at first glance.

Real age versus how the court treats her

A big reason people misunderstand Maomao’s age is that the court does not treat “age” the way modern audiences expect.

In the Inner Court, status outranks age

Maomao is low-status. That means even older servants can speak down to her, and even younger nobles can outrank her. So the social pressure you feel is often class-based, not age-based.

Maomao is treated as useful, not precious

The palace sees her as a tool: someone who can solve problems quietly. That framing can make viewers forget she is still a teen, because the environment does not allow her to behave like one.

How old is Maomao compared to Jinshi

This is the hidden reason many people ask Maomao’s age. They want context for the relationship tension.

The numerical age gap early on is usually small

Early in the story, Maomao is generally around 17, while Jinshi is commonly discussed as 18 at the start. That places them close in age numerically.

The real imbalance is power and rank

Even with a small numerical gap, the dynamic can feel uneven because:

• Jinshi has institutional authority and protection
• Maomao’s safety is conditional and fragile
• the court watches Jinshi intensely, and proximity creates political risk
• Maomao cannot afford curiosity in the same way Jinshi can

So when readers debate “is the age gap big,” the better question is “is the power gap big,” and the answer to that is yes.

Why some sources say Maomao is 16 or 18

If you want to future-proof your ComicK page and prevent comment wars, address the alternate numbers directly.

Why 16 appears

16 usually comes from one of these:

• a summary rounding down for “teen heroine” simplicity
• a different interpretation of age-counting conventions
• confusion between the beginning of her backstory and the start of the main plot

Why 18 appears

18 usually comes from:

• readers referencing later arcs where more time has passed
• people aligning her with modern adulthood thresholds
• a site listing her age as a range and another site copying the higher end

The safest accurate statement is:

Maomao is 17 at the start and is around 17 to 18 early on depending on timeline interpretation.

FAQ

How old is Maomao at the start of The Apothecary Diaries?

Maomao is generally understood to be 17 when the story begins.

How old is Maomao in the anime?

In the anime’s early story timeline, she is typically discussed as 17, with some viewers placing her near 18 depending on how much time they think passes between events.

Why do some sites list Maomao as 16?

That usually comes from simplified summaries, different age-counting assumptions, or confusion about timeline points.

Why do some sites list Maomao as 18?

That is often a later-timeline reference or a way to reflect that time passes beyond the earliest arcs.

Is Maomao younger than Jinshi?

Early on, Maomao is typically around 17, while Jinshi is often treated as slightly older in the early timeline. Numerically the gap is small, but their status gap is large.

Maomao is best described as 17 years old at the start of The Apothecary Diaries, remaining around 17 to 18 across the early arcs depending on how you interpret the story’s time passage.

The reason you see conflicting numbers online is not that the story is inconsistent, but that many summaries collapse timeline details into a single neat integer or apply different age-counting conventions.

If you want the simplest reliable takeaway for ComicK: Maomao is a late-teen heroine whose age is close to Jinshi’s early on, while the story’s real tension comes from court hierarchy and survival, not a dramatic age gap.

You may also like:

How Old Is Sung Jinwoo? Solo Leveling Protagonist Age Explained

How Many Chapters Is Solo Leveling?

What Country Is Solo Leveling Set In? The Canon Setting Explained