子こ

noun, noun, used as a suffix

child; kid; young person

General term for a child, from infant to teenager. Can be used as a standalone noun or as a suffix.

• 公こう園えんで子こたちが遊あそんでいる。

  Children are playing in the park.

• あの子こはまだ小しょう学がく生せいだ。

  That kid is still in elementary school.

noun, noun, used as a suffix

one's own child; offspring

Refers to one's own son or daughter. Often used with possessive or context to indicate parent-child relationship.

• うちの子こは来らい年ねん中ちゅう学がく生せいになります。

  My child will be a junior high school student next year.

• 彼かの女じょは三さん人にんの子この母はは親おやです。

  She is the mother of three children.

noun, noun, used as a suffix

young woman

Can refer to a young woman, sometimes written as 娘. Often used in compounds or with a descriptive prefix.

• あの子こはとてもきれいな人ひとだ。

  That young woman is very beautiful.

noun, noun, used as a suffix

young animal

Used for the young of animals. Often written as 仔 in this sense, but 子 is also common.

See also: 仔 (こ)

• 猫ねこが子こを産うんだ。

  The cat gave birth to kittens.

noun

offshoot; subsidiary

Metaphorical extension: something that branches off from a main entity, like a subsidiary company or a derivative product.

• その会かい社しゃは子こ会がい社しゃを設せつ立りつした。

  The company established a subsidiary.

noun

interest (on money)

Archaic or idiomatic use for interest, as in the phrase 元も子もない (losing both principal and interest; losing everything).

See also: 元も子もない

• 元もとも子こもないことをしてしまった。

  I ended up losing everything (both principal and interest).

noun

new share (finance)

Abbreviation of 子株, used in finance to refer to newly issued shares.

See also: 子株

• 子こ株かぶの割わり当あてを受うけた。

  I received an allotment of new shares.

noun

non-dealer (card games, mahjong)

In card games and mahjong, a player who is not the dealer. Opposite of 親.

See also: 親

• 麻雀まーじゃんで子この時ときに高たかい手てを上あがった。

  In mahjong, I won a high-scoring hand as a non-dealer.

noun

young geisha; young prostitute

Historical or euphemistic term for a young geisha or prostitute. Also written 姑.

• 江え戸ど時じ代だい、子こと呼よばれる若わかい芸げい者しゃがいた。

  In the Edo period, there were young geisha called 子.

noun

bird egg

Archaic term for a bird's egg.

• 古こ語ごでは、鳥とりの卵たまごを「子こ」と言いった。

  In old language, a bird's egg was called 子.

noun, used as a suffix

-er (suffix for young women)

Suffix attached to nouns or masu-stems to indicate a person (often a young woman) associated with that thing or action. E.g., 売り子 (seller girl), 踊り子 (dancer girl).

• 彼かの女じょはデパートの売うり子ことして働はたらいている。

  She works as a salesgirl at a department store.

• 踊おどり子こたちが舞ぶ台たいで華はなやかに舞まった。

  The dancers performed gracefully on stage.