child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM, first sign of Chinese zodiac
子 centers on a young or small being: a child. Its use as the first zodiac sign (rat) and the midnight hour (11PM–1AM) comes from the Chinese zodiac system, where the rat is the first animal and the hour is associated with new beginnings.
child; kid; teenager; youngster; young (non-adult) person
the Rat (first sign of the Chinese zodiac)
child; children
woman; girl
girl; daughter; baby girl
son
boy
electron
state (of affairs); situation; circumstances
tune; tone; key; pitch; time; rhythm
prince
boy; son; baby boy
gene
confections; sweets; candy; cake
chair; seat; stool; bench
hat; cap
parent and child
girls' high school
twins; twin
atomic energy; nuclear power
Koshien Stadium (baseball park in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture)
women's college; women's university
child rearing; child raising; raising children; parenting
atom
子 is a pictograph of a child with a large head and outstretched arms. The modern form retains the basic shape: a head-like top, a body, and arms.
The top horizontal stroke is the head, the hooked vertical stroke is the body, and the long horizontal stroke is the arms of a small child reaching out.
For シ, imagine a child saying 'she' when pointing at a picture of a baby: she -> シ, and the child is the subject.