仔こ

こ

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

Used specifically for the young of animals, not humans. Often appears as a suffix in compounds like 子犬 (こいぬ, puppy) or 子猫 (こねこ, kitten). The cross-reference to 子・こ・4 indicates a related but broader sense.

Usage patterns

〈動どう物ぶつ〉の仔こが生うまれるa young animal is born (of a given animal)
牛うしの仔こが生うまれた。
A calf was born.
仔こを産うむto give birth to young (of an animal)
この犬いぬは毎まい年ねん仔こを産うむ。
This dog gives birth to a litter every year.

Kanji

仔offspring (animal), detailed, fine

Related words

子こN4
子 is the general word for a child that can refer to humans, animals, or small things, while 仔 is a narrower, more technical term used only for the young of animals.

Opposites

親おやN4
親 refers to the parent animal, the opposite of 仔, which refers to its young offspring.

Don't confuse with

子こN4
仔 is a kanji variant used specifically for the young of animals, while 子 is the general, more common character for 'child' or 'young'.

Counted with

匹ひきN3
Used for counting small animals, such as young ones (仔).

Word family

子こ牛うし肉にく
veal

Etymology

The kanji 仔 is composed of 亻 (person radical) and 子 (child), originally meaning 'young of an animal'. The reading こ is the native Japanese word for 'child', applied here specifically to animals.