also: こうじ
calf; young cow
The ordinary meaning is a young bovine. It can refer to a young cow or bull in everyday livestock contexts.
The calf is walking after its mother.
We fed milk to a calf at the ranch.
small cow
A less common literal use for a cow that is small in size rather than necessarily young. When this distinction matters, 小さい牛 or 小型の牛 is usually clearer.
Depending on the context, 小牛 can refer to a small cow rather than a calf.
He is raising calves on the ranch.
A calf was born at the farm last night.
This restaurant is famous for dishes made with veal.
子羊 means a baby sheep (lamb) while 仔牛 means a baby cow (calf); the two young-animal words are easy to mix up.
Common alternative spelling using 仔, a character often associated with young animals.
Rare kanji form; visually suggests the literal idea of a small cow.
Rare single-character spelling for a calf; mainly useful for recognition or lookup.