expression, noun
threenager; terrifying three-year-old
Humorous, colloquial term likening a difficult three-year-old to a little devil. Used by parents and in parenting contexts.
うちの悪魔の三歳児は、毎日イヤイヤばかり言っている。
My little threenager says 'no' to everything every day.
悪魔の三歳児の相手は本当に疲れる。
Dealing with a threenager is really exhausting.
Refers to the 'terrible twos' stage, while 悪魔の三歳児 is for the 'threenager' phase, often considered even more challenging.
A modern colloquial coinage combining 悪魔 (devil) with 三歳児 (three-year-old), humorously describing the difficult behavior typical of that age.