General term for a child, from infant to teenager. Can be used as a standalone noun or as a suffix.
公園で子たちが遊んでいる。
Children are playing in the park.
She is raising her child alone.
あの子はまだ小学生だ。
That kid is still in elementary school.
one's own child; offspring
Refers to one's own son or daughter. Often used with possessive or context to indicate parent-child relationship.
うちの子は来年中学生になります。
My child will be a junior high school student next year.
彼女は三人の子の母親です。
She is the mother of three children.
Can refer to a young woman, sometimes written as 娘. Often used in compounds or with a descriptive prefix.
あの子はとてもきれいな人だ。
That young woman is very beautiful.
Metaphorical extension: something that branches off from a main entity, like a subsidiary company or a derivative product.
その会社は子会社を設立した。
The company established a subsidiary.
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
元も子もないことをしてしまった。
I ended up losing everything (both principal and interest).
Abbreviation of 子株, used in finance to refer to newly issued shares.
See also: 子株
子株の割当てを受けた。
I received an allotment of new shares.
non-dealer (card games, mahjong)
In card games and mahjong, a player who is not the dealer. Opposite of 親.
See also: 親
麻雀で子の時に高い手を上がった。
In mahjong, I won a high-scoring hand as a non-dealer.
young geisha; young prostitute
Historical or euphemistic term for a young geisha or prostitute. Also written 姑.
江戸時代、子と呼ばれる若い芸者がいた。
In the Edo period, there were young geisha called 子.
bird egg
Archaic term for a bird's egg.
古語では、鳥の卵を「子」と言った。
In old language, a bird's egg was called 子.
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).
彼女はデパートの売り子として働いている。
She works as a salesgirl at a department store.
踊り子たちが舞台で華やかに舞った。
The dancers performed gracefully on stage.
犬の子が庭で遊んでいる。
The puppy is playing in the yard.
They had a child soon after getting married.
My mother gave birth to a child at thirty.
The mother desperately protected her child.
息子 specifically means 'son', whereas 子 is gender-neutral and can refer to a son or daughter.
娘 specifically means 'daughter' or 'young woman', while 子 covers both sexes and is broader in meaning.
子 is the general word for a child that can refer to humans, animals, or small things, while 仔 is a narrower, more technical term used only for the young of animals.
親 means 'parent', the direct opposite of 子 in the parent-child relationship.
郎 is the traditional suffix for male given names, while 子 is the traditional suffix for female given names.
子 refers to the non-dealer players in a card game, the opposite role from the ディーラー (親) who deals the cards.
仔 is a kanji variant used specifically for the young of animals, while 子 is the general, more common character for 'child' or 'young'.
小 (read こ) is a prefix meaning 'small', while 子 (also read こ) is a prefix meaning 'child' or 'small offspring', so 小猫 would mean 'small cat' but 子猫 means 'kitten'.
子 read ね is the zodiac sign 'Rat' used in dates and compass directions, while the same kanji read こ means 'child' – the readings and meanings are unrelated.
The everyday counter for people: 一人 (ひとり), 二人 (ふたり), 三人 (さんにん).
More formal than 人 — used for headcounts in reservations, staff lists, and announcements (5名様).
child; children
son
parent and child
person from (place); person with (trait)
twins; twin
Standard kanji spelling for most senses.
Kana spelling is common in casual writing and when the kanji is not needed.
Alternate kanji, mainly seen in older or formal contexts.
Native Japanese word. The kanji 子 is a pictograph of a child and has been used for this meaning since ancient times. The reading こ is kun'yomi.
lever · driving force; instrument; helper
kitten · small cat
dango; sweet dumpling · ball-shaped object; round thing · lump; bunch; tight crowd · dango (Go); inefficient clump of stones
beloved child; dear child
child (honorific)
puppy · small dog
babysitting; childcare; babysitter
child actor; child actress · child's role; child's part
one's (former) student; one's pupil; one's disciple
foster child · adopted animal; foster pet
ladder · stairs; ladder-like steps · go to several places in succession; barhop
red bean paste; anko · filling; sweet filling · stuffing; padding
parenthood; having children; expecting parent · containing roe; with eggs
bringing one's child along; with one's child · parent with a child; adult accompanied by a child
doggy; bow-wow; dog
spicy cod roe; mentaiko
dancer; dancing girl
safe childbirth; easy delivery · guardian deity of children; protector of childbirth
soft roe; milt · albino
clapper; noisemaker; bird rattle · naruko; wooden clapper (held in both hands and shaken)
child's room; nursery
pendulum