How to say "baby" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 赤ちゃんあかちゃんnounThe everyday word for a baby or infant, warm and neutral in tone; this is what you naturally use when talking about someone's baby, such as noting that the baby is asleep.
- nounThe loanword; it carries a commercial, advertising flavor and is mostly found in product names and marketing, so it is seldom what you say when talking about an actual baby.
- 赤ん坊あかんぼうnounA colloquial variant of 赤ちゃん with a rougher, sometimes affectionate tone; it can also be used figuratively to call an adult childish, like calling someone a big baby.うちの赤ん坊は口をきくようになってきました。↗Our baby is learning to speak.
- 赤子あかごnounA dated word for a baby, met mainly in older literature and traditional expressions; in ordinary conversation it is seldom the word you want.
- 幼子おさなごnounCovers a baby but stretches to a small child in general, with a soft, literary tone; it suits poetry and tender narration more than everyday conversation.
For an actual baby in everyday speech, 「赤ちゃん」 is the usual choice; 「赤ん坊」 is a rougher or affectionate variant, 「ベビー」 belongs to commercial contexts, 赤子 is dated, and 幼子 is a tender literary word for a baby or small child.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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