坊や|ぼうやbouya[1]atamadaka (head-high)
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- nounboy; son; child
- nounmere boy; stripling; greenhorn
- Synonym男子だんしNeutralRefers to males or boys, as in 「男子校」, and leans formal; 「坊や」 is an affectionate term for a little boy.
- Synonym少年しょうねんNeutralRefers to a boy or youth, and by extension a minor; leans toward written, formal prose.
- Synonym男の子おとこのこNeutralThe everyday, most common word for a boy; it carries none of 「坊や」's affectionate warmth.
- Synonym男児だんじWrittenA formal word for a boy or male child, as in 「男児誕生」.
- SynonymキッドNeutralA loanword that in Japanese originally means a young goat or kid leather, so it does not cover 「坊や」's little-boy sense.
- Synonym子供こどもNeutralThe everyday, most common word for a child, of either sex.
- Synonym小人しょうにんWrittenMarks children in fare and fee categories, as in 「大人・小人」; it belongs to pricing language.
- Synonym小僧こぞうCasualColloquial for a brat or little fellow, tinged with scorn or affection; also a shop apprentice.
- Synonym童子どうじWrittenWritten language for a boy child, found mostly in Buddhist tales and legends.
- Synonym坊ちゃんぼっちゃんNeutralAn honorific for another person's son; also a pampered young master still green to the ways of the world.
- Related子こNeutralA broad term for a child, as in 「この子」; it is not limited to boys.
- Related児童じどうWrittenA written term for children; in schools it usually means pupils, and in law anyone under 18, as in 「児童福祉」.
- Related小児しょうにWrittenRefers to young children or infants, mostly in medical use, as in 「小児科」.
- RelatedジュニアNeutralA loanword for the junior age group or the younger generation, as in 「ジュニア選手」.
- Relatedお坊ちゃんおぼっちゃんNeutralAn honorific for another family's son; it can also mock a rich young man who knows nothing of the world.
- Related童わらべWrittenAn old, literary word for a child, as in 「わらべ歌」.
- Antonymお嬢ちゃんCasualA colloquial, affectionate term for a little girl, standing opposite 「坊や」.
Use 「坊や」 when addressing a little boy affectionately. For a boy in general, say 「男の子」; for a child of either sex, 「子供」. To refer politely to someone else's son, use 「坊ちゃん」; for a little rascal, 「小僧」; for a little girl, 「お嬢ちゃん」. The rest are narrower: formal or written terms like 「男子」「男児」「児童」「小児」, the literary 「童」, the fee-category 「小人」, the loanwords 「キッド」 and 「ジュニア」, and the honorific 「お坊ちゃん」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only


