子
子 — Child
child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM, first sign of Chinese zodiac
On’yomiシ (shi)
On’yomiス (su)
On’yomiツ (tsu)
Kun’yomiこ (ko)
Kun’yomi-こ (ko)
Kun’yomiね (ne)
Stroke order (3 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 子
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 子 | こ ko | child; kid; teenager |
| 子供 | こども kodomo | child; children |
| 女子 | じょし joshi | woman; girl |
| 男子 | だんし danshi | boy; man; male |
| 原子力 | げんしりょく genshiryoku | atomic energy; nuclear power |
| 様子 | ようす yousu | state (of affairs); situation; circumstances |
Study notes
子 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 3 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 1), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #72 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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