おもちゃ

遊あそび道どう具ぐ sense 1
遊び道具 is a broader term covering anything used for play, including playground equipment, while おもちゃ specifically means a manufactured toy.
遊ゆう具ぐ sense 1
遊具 refers to play equipment such as swings and slides found in parks, while おもちゃ refers to smaller toys used mainly indoors.
トイ
おもちゃ is the everyday native Japanese word for a toy, while トイ is a loanword mostly seen in pet-product or brand-name contexts (like トイプードル or カプセルトイ).

Politeness

玩がん具ぐpolite 丁寧語sense 1
玩具（がんぐ）is the same word read in its formal, written Sino-Japanese form used in business names and statistics, while おもちゃ is the everyday spoken word.

Counted with

個こN5
counter for small objects; counter for pieces · counter for military units · individual; one person · counter for years of age difference; counter for school years

Written forms

おもちゃUsage82%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Standard kana spelling; usually written in kana.
オモチャUsage17%
search-only kana form
Katakana variant for emphasis or stylistic effect; not the primary written form.
玩具おもちゃUsage1%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Kanji form is recognized but rarely used; the word is almost always written in kana.

Etymology

Derived from the honorific prefix 御 (お) and 持ち遊び (もちあそび, 'holding and playing'), contracted over time. The kanji 玩具 are jukujikun (special reading) applied to the word.

Related words

遊あそび道どう具ぐ sense 1

遊び道具 is a broader term covering anything used for play, including playground equipment, while おもちゃ specifically means a manufactured toy.

遊ゆう具ぐ sense 1

遊具 refers to play equipment such as swings and slides found in parks, while おもちゃ refers to smaller toys used mainly indoors.

トイ

おもちゃ is the everyday native Japanese word for a toy, while トイ is a loanword mostly seen in pet-product or brand-name contexts (like トイプードル or カプセルトイ).

Written forms

おもちゃUsage82%

gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun

Standard kana spelling; usually written in kana.

オモチャUsage17%

search-only kana form

Katakana variant for emphasis or stylistic effect; not the primary written form.

玩具おもちゃUsage1%

gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun

Kanji form is recognized but rarely used; the word is almost always written in kana.