young person; young servant
Archaic term for a young person, often a boy, or a young servant. Not used in modern Japanese; encountered only in historical texts.
In old documents, the word 小童 is used to refer to a young male servant.
Archaic kanji spelling for 'young person' or 'young servant'.
Variant kanji spelling, also archaic.
The exact derivation is uncertain; the kanji 小 (small) and 童 (child) combine to suggest a young person, and the reading しょうどう follows on'yomi patterns.