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JLPT N53画 · 3 strokesradical 子grade 1freq #350

child, offspring

On'yomi (音読み)

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

Mnemonic

Picture a small child holding a giant letter '子' as they proudly announce, 'I am your offspring!'

About this kanji

The kanji 子 is primarily used to mean "child" or "offspring." It can be read in different ways, with the kun'yomi readings こ (ko) and ね (ne) being the native Japanese pronunciations. This kanji also appears frequently in compounds, such as 子供 (こども), which means "child," 女子 (じょし) for "girl," and 男子 (だんし) for "boy." Another common word is 子犬 (こいぬ), meaning "puppy." While 子 refers to children or young animals, it can also be seen in contexts related to younger generations. A note to remember is that 子 can denote not just human children but also anything considered young or small.

Example sentences

  • 子どもが笑っています。

    The child is laughing.

Meanings across languages

English
child, offspring
Tiếng Việt
đứa trẻ, con cái
日本語
子供(こども), 子(こ)
한국어
아이
中文
孩子
id
anak
th
เด็ก
es
niño
fr
enfant
de
Kind
pt
criança

Common compounds

  • 子供こどもchild
  • 女子じょしgirl, female
  • 男子だんしboy, male
  • 子犬こいぬpuppy

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