A cewar ƙamus na Turanci na Oxford, ma’anar ƙuruciya ita ce:“Jihar ko lokacin zama yaro, yawanci ana ɗaukarsa a matsayin lokacin ƙuruciya zuwa shekarun balaga; lokacin da mutum yaro ne."Yara mataki ne na haɓakawa wanda ke farawa tun yana ƙuruciya kuma yana ƙare da samartaka, yawanci kusan shekaru 18. A lokacin ƙuruciya, ɗaiɗaikun mutane suna samun haɓakar jiki, fahimta, da haɓakawa da haɓaka. Yawancin lokaci ana siffanta shi da wasa, bincike, da koyo, yayin da yara ke haɓaka ƙwarewar motsinsu, harshe, ƙwarewar zamantakewa, da sanin kansu. Yaruciya lokaci ne mai girma wanda ke siffata ɗabi'un mutum, dabi'unsa, da imaninsa, kuma lokaci ne mai mahimmanci na shiri don balaga.