童子・童児|どうじdouji[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounboy; kid; child

• Synonym子供こどもNeutralThe everyday word for a child, covering boys and girls alike; 「童子」 is archaic and mostly for Buddhist or legendary boy attendants.
• Synonym坊やぼうやCasualAn affectionate colloquial term for a little boy; also used of a naive, inexperienced young man.
• Synonym男子だんしNeutralBoys or males, often in school contexts like 「男子生徒」; fairly formal but without the archaic flavor of 「童子」.
• Synonym少年しょうねんNeutralA current word for minors, mostly boys but including younger children; 「童子」 sounds archaic beside it.
• Synonym児童じどうNeutralThe formal term for children, standard in law and education, as in 「児童福祉」.
• Synonym男の子おとこのこNeutralThe most common everyday word for a boy, far more colloquial than the archaic 「童子」.
• Synonym小児しょうにNeutralYoung children, chiefly in medical usage like 「小児科」; 「童子」 is archaic and tied to Buddhism and legend.
• Synonym男児だんじNeutralA word for boys common in news writing; it can also suggest manly vigor, as in 「日本男児」.
• SynonymキッドNeutralA loanword whose basic senses in Japanese are a young goat and kidskin; rare for children and mostly seen in names, so say 「子供」.
• Synonym小僧こぞうCasualA young monk or shop apprentice; colloquially a dismissive 'kid' or 'brat'.
• Synonym児じNeutralMostly a suffix, as in 「幼児」 and 「園児」; standing alone it is rare.
• Related子こNeutralAlso used as a suffix; very common in speech, as in 「この子」.
• RelatedちびCasualColloquial for a small child or short person, with either disdain or affection; not limited to children.
• RelatedこわっぱCasualA colloquial, contemptuous term for a boy, roughly 'cheeky brat'.
• Related小さ童ちいさわらわWrittenA historical term for the young servant boys of the Heian court; narrower in scope than 「童子」 and rare in modern use.
• Related童わらべWrittenAs archaic as 「童子」; best known from 「わらべうた」, traditional children's songs.
• Related孺子じゅしWrittenA scornful word for a green youngster; rare even in writing, found mostly in classical texts.
• RelatedちびっこCasualA warm, colloquial way to refer to little kids, with a cute nuance and no archaic coloring.
• Related我郎わろWrittenAn archaic word for a young man or male servant, also used as an insult; it matches 「童子」 only in meaning a young male.
• Antonym大人おとなNeutralThe everyday word for an adult, the direct opposite of the child that 「童子」 denotes.
• Antonym成人せいじんNeutralA formal word for an adult that also names the state of coming of age; opposite of 「童子」.

For an everyday child, say 「子供」 or 「男の子」; for minors in general, 「少年」. 「童子」 itself is archaic, best kept for Buddhist or legendary boy attendants. Use 「児童」 in legal or educational writing and 「小児」 in medicine. 「男子」 and 「男児」 suit formal or news contexts. The rest are special: affectionate 「坊や」「ちびっ子」, dismissive 「小童」「小僧」, suffixes 「児」「子」, and literary 「童」「孺子」. Antonyms: 「大人」 in daily speech, 「成人」 in formal use.

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

1. 子供こども。
2. 貴人きじんの身の回みのまわりの世話せわなどをする少年しょうねん。
3. （仏教ぶっきょう）菩薩ぼさつ。
4. （仏教ぶっきょう）仏ふつ・菩薩ぼさつ・明王みょうおうなどの眷属けんぞくに付つける名な。
5. （仏教ぶっきょう）寺院じいんに入はいってまだ得度とくど剃髪ていはつせず、仏典ぶってんを学まなびながら雑役ざつえきに従事じゅうじする少年しょうねん。