子
Meanings
General term for a child, from infant to teenager. Can be used as a standalone noun or as a suffix.
Children are playing in the park.
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.
My child will be a junior high school student next year.
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.
That young woman is very beautiful.
young animal
Used for the young of animals. Often written as 仔 in this sense, but 子 is also common.
See also: 仔 (こ)
The cat gave birth to kittens.
Metaphorical extension: something that branches off from a main entity, like a subsidiary company or a derivative product.
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
I ended up losing everything (both principal and interest).
non-dealer (card games, mahjong)
In card games and mahjong, a player who is not the dealer. Opposite of 親.
See also: 親
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.
In the Edo period, there were young geisha called 子.
bird egg
Archaic term for a bird's egg.
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).
She works as a salesgirl at a department store.
The dancers performed gracefully on stage.
Usage patterns
- 〈人〉が子を育てるfor someone to raise a child
She is raising her child alone.
- 〈動物〉の子the young of an animal
The puppy is playing in the yard.
- 〈人〉が子を持つto have a child
They had a child soon after getting married.
- 〈人〉が子を産むto give birth to a child
My mother gave birth to a child at thirty.
- 〈人〉が子を守るto protect one's child
The mother desperately protected her child.
Expressions· 68
- 女の子girl; daughter; baby girl · young woman
- 男の子boy; son; baby boy · young man
- 我が子one's own child; one's own children
- 虎の子tiger cub · one's treasure; precious savings
- 風の子children who play outside energetically; kids who don't mind the cold
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- いい子good boy; good girl
- 上の子older child; elder child
- 下の子younger child; youngest child
- 人の子someone's child; human being · other people's children · the Son of Man; Christ
- 子は鎹children are a bond between husband and wife; children hold marriages together
- 宝の子treasured child; beloved child
- 木の子kinoko; mountain-dwelling demon resembling a child
- 若い子young person; youngster