子供・子ども|こどもkodomo[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounchild; children
   あなたには何人なんにん子供こどもがいますか。↗

   How many children do you have?

• Synonym子こNeutralCovers children, one's offspring, and young women; usually paired with a modifier like 「男の子」 or 「うちの子」. On its own, 「子供」 is the more common word.
• Synonym児童じどうWrittenWritten word for children, especially elementary school pupils; common in legal and educational contexts such as 「児童福祉」.
• Synonym子弟していWrittenWritten language for the sons and younger brothers of a family, as in 「良家の子弟」; 「子供」 is the ordinary word.
• Synonym子女しじょWrittenWritten term for one's sons and daughters, as in 「帰国子女」; found mainly in formal documents.
• Synonym坊やぼうやCasualColloquial, affectionate way to address a little boy; can also mock a young man naive about the world.
• Synonym童子どうじWrittenWritten word for a boy or child, mostly in Buddhist or classical contexts; rare in everyday speech, where 「子供」 is the norm.
• Synonymお子様おこさまFormalFormal honorific for another person's child, used in service and business settings, as in 「お子様連れ」; can also sarcastically call someone childish.
• SynonymキッドNeutralLoanword that can mean a child, but also a young goat and the leather made from its skin; far less common than 「子供」, the everyday word for a child.
• Synonymお子さんおこさんNeutralPolite way to refer to someone else's child; friendlier than 「お子様」 and the usual choice in everyday conversation.
• Synonym児じNeutralThis is 「子」 written with the character 「児」, meaning the same; 「子」 can also refer to animal young, while 「子供」 normally means human children only.
• Synonym童わらべWrittenArchaic, literary word for a young child, seen in children's songs and literature, as in 「わらべ歌」.
• SynonymちびっこCasualColloquial, affectionate term for a small child, as in 「ちびっ子広場」; carries a cute, endearing nuance.
• RelatedこわっぱCasualColloquial word for a cheeky young boy, usually contemptuous, as in 「生意気な小童め」; seldom heard today.
• Antonym大人おとなNeutralThe opposite of 「子供」: an adult, a grown-up person.

Default to 「子供」 for a child. Use 「お子さん」 for someone else's child, 「お子様」 in polite service or business settings, 「児童」 in formal legal or educational writing, 「子女」 for one's sons and daughters in formal documents, and 「ちびっ子」 or 「坊や」 affectionately.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 子こ。息子むすこ又または娘むすめ。
2. 自身じしんが保護者ほごしゃである子こ。うちの子こ。
3. 児童じどう。幼児ようじ。
4. 未熟みじゅくな者ものの比喩ひゆ。
5. 和文わぶん通話つうわ表ひょうで「こ」を表あらわす。