小人|しょうにんshounin[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounchild (esp. one of elementary school age or younger)used when indicating admission fees, passenger fares, etc.
   ５歳さい未満みまんの小人しょうにんは、入場料にゅうじょうりょうは要いりません。↗

   There is no admission fee for children under five.

• Synonym子供こどもNeutralThe everyday word for child, covering children in general or one's own son or daughter; it has none of the official fare-category flavor of 「小人」.
• Synonym児童じどうWrittenWritten/formal prose: children, the standard term in law and education; the 児童福祉法 defines them as under 18, while 「小人」 shows up on fares.
• Synonym小児しょうにWrittenWritten, medical term for young children and infants, as in 「小児科」; it narrows to the medical sense, not fare categories.
• Synonym坊やぼうやCasualColloquial and affectionate for a little boy or one's son; it can also belittle a naive young man who knows nothing of the world.
• Synonym童子どうじWrittenWritten: a child, especially a boy attending on a person of rank; literary, with none of the ticket-window use of 「小人」.
• SynonymキッドCasualLoanword that in Japanese really means a kid goat or kid leather; not an everyday substitute for 「小人」.
• Synonym孺子じゅしWrittenWritten and rare: a child or young lad, but also a scornful word for a greenhorn. For children on price lists, use 「小人」.
• SynonymこわっぱCasualColloquial and contemptuous: a brat, stressing a mischievous or cheeky boy rather than a child defined by age.
• Synonym小さ童ちいさわらわWrittenWritten archaism for a small servant child, specifically a menial in the Heian-period imperial palace; no link to fare categories.
• SynonymちびっこCasualColloquial and endearing: a tot or little kid, used fondly of small children rather than as a fare category.
• Antonym大人おとなNeutralAdult, the counterpart of 「小人」 in fare categories, as in 「大人・小人」.

「小人（しょうにん）」 is the child category on fares, as in 「大人500円・小人300円」, covering children elementary-school age and under. In daily speech say 「子供」; official writing uses 「児童」, medicine 「小児」. The rest are niche: 「孺子」 and 「童子」 literary, 「小さ童」 a Heian-palace archaism, 「小童」 a contemptuous brat, 「坊や」 and 「ちびっ子」 affectionate colloquialisms, 「キッド」 a kid goat.

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

1. (ショウジン、ショウニン)小児しょうに。こども。