A poetic or literary term for a very young baby, often used in classical or elevated contexts. In modern everyday speech, 赤ちゃん or 乳児 are more common.
The smile of an infant is like that of an angel.
She held the baby close to her chest.
Rare kanji spelling; the first character 嬰 is not a jōyō kanji and may be unfamiliar to many readers.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; occasionally seen but less common than pure kana.
Rarely used kanji form; the kanji 緑 means 'green', which is etymologically related but not transparent in modern usage.
An ancient native Japanese word attested in the form みどりこ, meaning “infant.” 嬰児 is a meaning-based spelling; the word’s deeper derivation is uncertain.