Meaning
児 means child or infant — a young person in the early stages of life. The kanji covers everything from newborns to school-age kids, with particular emphasis on youth and dependence on caregivers. It rarely stands alone; instead, it anchors compound words across medicine, law, childcare, and social welfare.
Etymologically, 児 is the shinjitai (新字体) simplification of the traditional character 兒. The older form depicts a child's open fontanelle — the soft spot on a baby's skull — at the top. Below sits 儿, a pictograph of human legs. Put them together and you have a small, not-yet-fully-formed human just starting to navigate the world.
The radical 儿 (にんにょう / ひとあし, human legs) anchors the kanji's human meaning. Taught in Grade 4 of Japanese elementary school, 児 sits at JLPT N2 and appears regularly in intermediate and advanced reading.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The main on'yomi is ジ (ji). You'll find it in compound words across parenting, medicine, and government documents. Whenever 児 appears alongside other kanji in formal writing, read it as ジ.
- 育児 (ikuji) — childcare, child-rearing
- 幼児 (yōji) — young child, toddler (ages roughly 1–6)
- 児童 (jidō) — children (used in legal/educational contexts)
A second on'yomi, ニ (ni), survives mainly in classical literature and a handful of fixed expressions. It rarely shows up in daily modern Japanese, but it's worth recognizing.
- 嬰児 (eiji) — newborn baby, neonate
- 孺児 (jūji) — small child (literary/classical term)
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi こ (ko) shares its sound — and meaning — with the far more common 子. In practice, 子 handles this role in modern speech, leaving こ for 児 to dialects and older usage. Recognizing that 児 connects to the sound ko (child) still helps lock in its meaning.
Common Words & Compounds
児 almost never stands alone — its value comes from the compounds it builds. Here are the most useful ones, grouped by theme.
Childcare & Upbringing
- 育児 (ikuji) — childcare, raising a child; turns up constantly on parenting sites and in government documents
- 育児休業 (ikuji kyūgyō) — parental leave (literally "childcare leave from work")
- 保育児 (hoikuji) — child enrolled in daycare
Age-Based Categories
- 幼児 (yōji) — toddler or preschool-age child
- 乳児 (nyūji) — infant, nursing baby (乳 means milk/breast)
- 新生児 (shinseiji) — newborn, neonate
- 小児 (shōni) — child (medical usage)
Medical & Health
- 小児科 (shōnika) — pediatrics, children's medical department
- 小児病院 (shōni byōin) — children's hospital
Social & Legal Contexts
- 児童 (jidō) — child, juvenile (official/legal term)
- 孤児 (koji) — orphan
- 問題児 (mondaiji) — problem child, troubled youth
- 天才児 (tensaiji) — child prodigy
- 障害児 (shōgaiji) — child with a disability
Example Sentences
育児は大変だけど、とても楽しいです。
Ikuji wa taihen dakedo, totemo tanoshii desu.
Raising a child is tough, but it's really enjoyable.
幼児は毎日ぐんぐん成長します。
Yōji wa mainichi gungun seichō shimasu.
Young children grow rapidly every single day.
息子が熱を出したので、小児科へ連れて行きました。
Musuko ga netsu wo dashita node, shōnika e tsurete ikimashita.
My son developed a fever, so I took him to the pediatrician.
新生児は一日に何度もミルクを飲みます。
Shinseiji wa ichinichi ni nando mo miruku wo nomimasu.
Newborns drink milk many times throughout the day.
彼女は孤児として育ち、強い人間になりました。
Kanojo wa koji toshite sodachi, tsuyoi ningen ni narimashita.
She grew up as an orphan and became a strong person.
育児休業を取得する男性が増えています。
Ikuji kyūgyō wo shutoku suru dansei ga fuete imasu.
The number of men taking parental leave is increasing.
児童虐待は絶対に許されません。
Jidō gyakutai wa zettai ni yurusaremasen.
Child abuse is absolutely unacceptable.
乳児を抱っこしたまま、電車に乗りました。
Nyūji wo dakko shita mama, densha ni norimashita.
I boarded the train while carrying the infant in my arms.
問題児と呼ばれた子が、後に偉大な発明家になることもある。
Mondaiji to yobareta ko ga, ato ni idai na hatsumeika ni naru koto mo aru.
Children labeled as problem kids sometimes go on to become great inventors.
Memory Tip
Picture a baby on its back, legs kicking in the air — that's the 儿 radical at the bottom of 児. At the top, imagine the rounded softness of a baby's head, fontanelle still open. The whole character is a frozen moment: a soft-skulled human with wobbly legs, just beginning to exist. Next time you spot 児, think "baby legs" — and child or infant will follow.