young animal; offspring (of an animal)
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.
See also: 子 (こ)
この仔猫はまだ目が開いていない。
This kitten hasn't opened its eyes yet.
動物園で虎の仔が生まれた。
A tiger cub was born at the zoo.
A calf was born.
この犬は毎年仔を産む。
This dog gives birth to a litter every year.
親 refers to the parent animal, the opposite of 仔, which refers to its young offspring.
仔 is a kanji variant used specifically for the young of animals, while 子 is the general, more common character for 'child' or 'young'.
Used for counting small animals, such as young ones (仔).
veal
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.