小僧|こぞうkozou[2]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. nounyoungster; boy; kid; brat; lad
   また僕ぼくをかつごうとしているのかい、このいたずら小僧こぞうめ。↗

   Are you going to play tricks on me again, you naughty boy?
2. nounyoung Buddhist monk; young bonze
   門前もんぜんの小僧こぞう習ならわぬ経きょうを読よむ。↗

   A saint's maid quotes Latin.
3. nounyoung shop-boy; errand boy; apprentice

• Synonym坊やぼうやNeutralAn affectionate term for a little boy; can also belittle a naive young man as a mere boy. Unlike 「小僧」, it never means a young monk or shop boy.
• Synonym少年しょうねんNeutralA neutral, fairly formal word for a boy; carries none of the contempt or teasing 「小僧」 often has.
• Synonym男の子おとこのこNeutralThe most common everyday word for a boy; neutral, with no pejorative shade, unlike the often-mocking 「小僧」.
• Synonym男児だんじNeutralA more formal word for a boy, also a manly, spirited man as in 「日本男児」; free of the contempt 「小僧」 can carry.
• Synonym坊ちゃんぼっちゃんNeutralAnother's son or a young master; also sarcastic, even scornful, toward a green, pampered young man. Unlike 「小僧」, it never means a monk or shop hand.
• Synonym子こNeutralThe broadest word for a child, covering both sexes; neutral, with no contempt — 「小僧」 is boys only and often mocking.
• Synonym童子どうじWrittenA boy or child with a Buddhist or classical flavour, as in 「金太郎童子」; literary, unlike the everyday, often mocking 「小僧」.
• Synonymお坊ちゃんおぼっちゃんNeutralRespectful term for another person's son; also mocks a naive young man from a wealthy family — respectful where 「小僧」 is contemptuous.
• Synonym小童しょうどうWrittenWritten word for a young person or young servant; rare even in prose, and lacks the teasing 「小僧」 has when calling someone a brat.
• Synonym童男おぐなWrittenArchaic written word for a little boy, found in classical texts; not used in modern speech.
• Synonym青二才あおにさいCasualColloquial and strongly pejorative: an immature, wet-behind-the-ears youth. Insulting where 「小僧」 can be merely teasing.
• Synonym童わらべWrittenAn elegant, literary word for a child, as in 「童歌」, with a nostalgic feel; no contempt.
• RelatedジュニアNeutralLoanword for a junior — a younger person or a second generation, as in 「ジュニア選手」; colloquial, with no contempt.
• Related男子だんしNeutralNeutral and formal for a boy or male, as in 「男子校」 and 「男子トイレ」; no contempt.
• Related息子むすこNeutralThe everyday word for a son, focused on the parent-child bond; never contemptuous.
• Related小さ童ちいさわらわWrittenHistorical term for the child servants of the Heian-period imperial court; not used in modern Japanese.
• RelatedせがれNeutralHumble term for one's own son, but also a gruff, blunt way to call someone a punk or brat.
• Relatedご令息ごれいそくFormalHonorific for another person's son, used in formal settings — the opposite of 「小僧」 in attitude.
• Related我郎わろWrittenArchaic term for a boy or servant, also a harsh insult; rare today, seen in classical texts.
• RelatedぼんちNeutralKansai dialect for a young master or rich young gentleman; carries a distinct regional flavour.
• Antonym老僧ろうそうWrittenAn aged Buddhist priest — the antonym of 「小僧」 in its young-monk sense.

Use 「小僧」 for a bratty youngster, a young monk, or a young shop hand; as a label for a kid it usually sounds contemptuous or teasing, as in 「いたずら小僧」 and 「門前の小僧」. For a boy said neutrally, choose 「男の子」 or 「少年」; affectionately, 「坊や」. For another's son or a young master, 「坊ちゃん」; for one's own son, 「息子」; in formal settings, 「ご令息」. For a strongly insulting put-down, 「青二才」. The opposite of a young monk is 「老僧」.

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

1. 年少ねんしょう（子こども）の僧そう。
2. 商店しょうてんなどで使用しようされる若わかい男おとこの店員てんいん。
3. 年少ねんしょうの男子だんしを見下みくだしていう語ご。坊主ぼうず。