幼児|ようじyouji[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounyoung child; toddler
   彼かれは幼児ようじ虐待ぎゃくたいで罰ばっせられた。↗

   He was punished for child abuse.
2. noun, lawchild over 1 but not yet of school age

• Synonym稚児ちごWrittenWritten word for a young child; today mostly a costumed child in a festival procession (「稚児行列」).
• Related赤ん坊あかんぼうNeutralCommon in speech for a baby (「赤ん坊が泣く」); 「幼児」 is a child from age one until starting school.
• Related赤子あかごWrittenWritten word for a baby; often seen in the idiom 「赤子の手をひねる」 (child's play).
• Related赤ちゃんあかちゃんNeutralAffectionate everyday word for a baby (「赤ちゃんが生まれる」); the most common choice in speech.
• Related乳児にゅうじNeutralA baby under one year old; used mainly in medical and administrative settings (「乳児検診」).
• RelatedベビーNeutralLoanword for a baby or baby items (「ベビーカー」); mostly used as a prefix.
• RelatedみどりごWrittenWritten, literary word for a newborn baby; in everyday speech say 「赤ちゃん」.
• Related乳飲み子ちのみごWrittenA baby still nursing (「乳飲み子を抱える」); leans toward written style.
• Related孩児がいじWrittenWritten word for an infant; rare in modern use, found mostly in Buddhist dharma names.
• Antonym大人おとなNeutralAn adult (「大人料金」); stands at the opposite end of the age scale from 「幼児」.
• Antonym高齢者こうれいしゃNeutralAn elderly person (「高齢者施設」); the opposite age bracket to 「幼児」.

Use 「幼児」 for a child from about age one until starting school (「幼児教育」). For babies under one, official contexts say 「乳児」 while everyday speech prefers 「赤ちゃん」 or 「赤ん坊」. The age opposite is 「大人」.

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

1. 幼おさない子供こども。満まん一いち歳さいから小学校しょうがっこう就学しゅうがくまでの子供こども。