みどりご

み

ど

り

ご

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

noun

infant; baby

poetical termusually written using kana alone

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.

みどりごの笑え顔がおは天てん使しのようだ。
The smile of an infant is like that of an angel.
彼かの女じょはみどりごを胸むねに抱だきしめた。
She held the baby close to her chest.

Written forms

嬰児みどりごUsage100%
Rare kanji spelling; the first character 嬰 is not a jōyō kanji and may be unfamiliar to many readers.
みどり児ご
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; occasionally seen but less common than pure kana.
緑みどり児ご
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; the kanji 緑 means 'green', which is etymologically related but not transparent in modern usage.

Kanji

嬰sharp (music), baby
児newborn babe, child, young of animals
緑green

Similar words

赤あかちゃん
The standard, everyday word for a baby. みどりご is more poetic and less common in casual conversation.
乳にゅう児じ
A more clinical or formal term for an infant, often used in medical or official contexts. みどりご carries a softer, more literary nuance.

Etymology

The word みどりご is composed of みどり (green, verdant) and 子 (child). The exact origin is uncertain, but it may derive from the image of a newborn as fresh and new like young greenery. The kanji 嬰児 uses 嬰 (infant) and 児 (child), which are direct but rare characters for this meaning.