児
newborn babe, child, young of animals
Readings
On'yomi
- ジ
- ニ
- ゲイ
Kun'yomi
- こ
- -こ
- -っこ
Nanori
- る
Meaning
児 centers on a young being: a newborn baby, a child, or the young of an animal. It captures the idea of something small and dependent at the start of life.
Most common words using 児
20 of 304- 児童じどうN3
children; juvenile
- 鹿児島かごしま
Kagoshima (city, prefecture)
- 児じN2
child; boy
- 幼児ようじN3
young child; toddler
- 育児いくじN2
childcare; child-rearing; nursing; upbringing
- 小児しょうに
young child; infant
- 女児じょじ
girl; baby girl
- 男児だんじ
boy; son
- 孤児こじN1
orphan
- 胎児たいじ
fetus; foetus; embryo; baby in the womb; unborn baby
- 園児えんじN2
kindergarten pupil; kindergartener; preschooler; child in daycare
- 小児科しょうにかN2
pediatrics
- 乳児にゅうじN3
infant (below 1 year old); suckling baby
- 問題児もんだいじ
problem child
- 新生児しんせいじ
newborn baby
- 乳幼児にゅうようじN1
babies and preschool children
- 害児がいじ
retard; moron; cripple
- 球児きゅうじ
baseball-playing teenager; high-school baseball player
- 稚児ちご
infant; child
- 託児たくじ
childcare; day care
Study
Etymology
児 is the modern simplified form of 兒. The older form 兒 is a pictograph of a child with an incompletely closed fontanel at the top, representing a newborn. The modern 旧-like top is a simplification.
Meaning mnemonic
The top 旧 looks like a small head with a soft spot, and the bottom 儿 looks like little legs. Together they form a newborn child or young animal.
Reading mnemonic
For ジ, imagine a tiny child saying 'Gee!' in surprise: Gee -> ジ, and the child's wide eyes match the newborn meaning.