子

• 読み: こ
• ローマ字: ko
• 漢字の分解: 子 (shi/su/ko) — child, young
• 発音: /ko/

意味

A child; a kid. Also used as a suffix in names and to refer to young animals.

One of the most versatile kanji in Japanese. As a standalone word, it means 'child.' As a suffix, it appears in female names (花子, 裕子), animal terms (子猫, kitten; 子犬, puppy), and many compounds. The reading changes between こ (kun) and し/す (on) depending on the word.

例文

1. 公園で子どもたちが遊んでいます。
2. あの子はとても元気ですね。
3. 猫の子が三匹生まれました。

使い方ガイド

場面: family, daily life, animals

トーン: friendly

起源と歴史

From Old Japanese. The kanji 子 is a pictograph of a swaddled baby with outstretched arms, one of the oldest and most fundamental characters.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal