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Kotomora

童

juvenile, child

JLPTN2StatusJōyō · grade 3FrequencyTop 2,000Strokes12

Readings

On'yomi

  • ドウ

Kun'yomi

  • わらべ

Nanori

  • ぱ

Meaning

童 centers on a young person: a child or juvenile. The meanings are straightforward and closely related.

Most common words using 童

20 of 110
  • 児童じどう
    N3

    children; juvenile

  • 童貞どうてい

    virginity (of a male); (male) virgin

  • 童話どうわ
    N2

    children's story; fairy tale

  • 河童かっぱ

    kappa; mythical water-dwelling creature

  • 童わっぱ

    child; kid; brat

  • 童わらし

    child

  • 童わらべ

    child

  • 童顔どうがん

    child's face

  • 童子どうじ

    boy; kid; child

  • 童謡どうよう

    children's song; nursery rhyme

  • 天童てんどう

    cherub; gods disguised as children; children parading as cherubs

  • 学童がくどう

    schoolchild; pupil

  • 神童しんどう

    child prodigy; infant genius; wonder child

  • 童心どうしん

    child's mind; childlike innocence; naivete

  • 悪童あくどう

    bad boy; naughty child; brat

  • 小童こわっぱ

    boy; child; youth; brat

  • 小童しょうどう

    young person; young servant

  • 童女どうじょ

    (young) girl

  • お河童おかっぱ

    bobbed hair

  • 童画どうが

    pictures drawn by child; pictures for children

Explore all words using 童 →

Study

Etymology

童 originally depicted a person with a tattoo or mark on the forehead, possibly indicating a servant or child. Over time it came to mean juvenile or child. The modern form combines 立 (stand) and 里 (village), but this is a later simplification and does not reflect the original pictographic components.

Meaning mnemonic

A child stands (立) in the village (里), representing a juvenile in the community.

Reading mnemonic

For ドウ, imagine a child playing with a doughnut: dough -> ドウ, and the child is a juvenile enjoying a treat.