young monk; boy monk
Refers to a young Buddhist monk, typically a boy or adolescent in training.
The young monks were cleaning at the temple.
He is still a young monk, but he trains diligently.
小僧 can also mean 'young monk' but is more commonly used for 'apprentice' or 'kid' in a secular context.
Standard kanji spelling for 'young monk'.
Variant kanji form; less common.
若 (young) + 僧 (monk). The reading にゃくそう is the standard on'yomi combination; じゃくそう is a variant reading.