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N5Lesson notes · Oct 5, 2026

Child in Japanese: 子こども (こども), 子こ, お子こさん, 子こどもっぽい, and 子こどもらしい

"Child" in Japanese is 子こども (こども), also written 子供こども. The short form 子こ (こ) appears in words like 男の子おとこのこ (boy) and 女の子おんなのこ (girl). For your own child you say うちの子こ or 息子むすこ (son) and 娘むすめ (daughter), but for someone else's child you say お子こさん. 子こどもっぽい means "childish" and 子こどもらしい means "child-like in a good way".

Learners usually meet 子こども in the first week, and then it keeps getting more interesting. There are two ways to write it, a short version that behaves differently, a polite word for other people's kids, and a pair of adjectives — childish and childlike — that English speakers often blur together. This post walks through all of it, with anime examples where the word shows up in real life.

How do you say "child" in Japanese?

What is the difference between 子こども and 子供こども?

子こども and 子供こども are the same word, read こども. You will see both in books, signs and websites, and neither is wrong.

The story behind the two spellings is a little tangled. The kanji 供とも has an older sense of "attendant" or "companion", and some people feel it is not a nice fit for children, so they prefer 子こども with hiragana. You will often see 子こども in government and school materials, and 子供こども in everyday writing, but I would not treat that as a strict rule. As a learner, you can use either. Pick one and stay consistent inside a single text.

子こどもが三人さんにんいます。 — I have three children. (polite) 子供こどもの頃ころ、アニメばかり見みていた。 — When I was a child, I only watched anime. (casual)

In handwriting and chat, many native speakers also type こども in hiragana. That is perfectly fine, and it is the safest choice for beginner materials.

Is 子こ the same as 子こども?

子こ (こ) is the short, flexible form. It means "child" or "kid", but it is rarely used alone as a plain noun. It mostly appears inside other words or with a modifier.

You hear it in 男の子おとこのこ (おとこのこ, boy), 女の子おんなのこ (おんなのこ, girl), いい子こ (good kid), and 子犬こいぬ (こいぬ, puppy). It can also be a warm way to talk about a young person you care about.

あの子こはいつも元気げんきだね。 — That kid is always full of energy, isn't she? (casual) いい子こにしてね。 — Be a good kid, okay? (casual, to a child)

Notice that あの子こ can point at a girl or a boy depending on context. It is also what you say when you do not want to use a name.

How do you say "children", plural?

Add たち: 子こどもたち. Japanese does not need a plural, so 子こども alone often means "children" when the context is clear.

子こどもたちは公園こうえんで遊あそんでいる。 — The children are playing in the park. (casual)

If you want to know when たち is optional and when it feels natural, read Japanese plurals: たち and ら. The short version is that たち is common for people and rare for objects.

How do you describe your own child versus someone else's?

For your own child, say うちの子こ or 息子むすこ (son) and 娘むすめ (daughter). For someone else's child, say お子こさん, or the very formal お子こ様さま in business and customer service.

This is the biggest practical point in the article, because it is a classic uchi and soto (inside and outside) situation. Japanese changes the word depending on whose family you are talking about. You can see the same logic with older siblings in ani vs onii-san.

うちの子こは今年ことしから小学生しょうがくせいです。 — My kid starts elementary school this year. (polite) お子こさんは何歳なんさいですか。 — How old is your child? (polite) お子こ様さま連つれのお客様きゃくさまはこちらへどうぞ。 — Guests with children, please come this way. (very polite, service language)

You may wonder why you cannot just say あなたの子こども. You can, but it sounds a bit blunt, and Japanese also tends to avoid あなた. お子こさん is the natural, friendly choice.

Situation Word Reading Feel
General "child" 子こども / 子供こども こども neutral
Boy 男の子おとこのこ おとこのこ neutral
Girl 女の子おんなのこ おんなのこ neutral
My child うちの子こ うちのこ warm, casual
My son 息子むすこ むすこ neutral
My daughter 娘むすめ むすめ neutral
Someone else's child お子こさん おこさん polite
Someone else's child, formal お子こ様さま おこさま very polite

What do the words for age stages look like?

Japanese has a ladder of words for how old a child is: 赤あかちゃん (baby), 幼児ようじ (toddler or preschooler), 子こども (child), 小学生しょうがくせい (elementary schooler), and then 中学生ちゅうがくせい and 高校生こうこうせい.

Here is how they fit together:

  • 赤あかちゃん (あかちゃん) is a baby. There is a full post on it: baby in Japanese.
  • 幼児ようじ (ようじ) is a toddler or preschool-age child. It is a slightly formal, official word.
  • 小学生しょうがくせい (しょうがくせい) is an elementary school student, and 中学生ちゅうがくせい and 高校生こうこうせい follow the same pattern. The difference between 学生がくせい and 生徒せいと is covered in student in Japanese.
  • 学校がっこう (がっこう) is the place they go: school in Japanese.

幼児ようじ向むけの絵本えほんを探さがしています。 — I'm looking for a picture book for toddlers. (polite) 弟おとうとはまだ小学生しょうがくせいです。 — My little brother is still in elementary school. (polite)

Once someone is a middle or high schooler, you are usually less likely to call them 子こども in conversation. Many Japanese people say 若者わかもの (young people) or just name the school stage. For the idea of "young", see young in Japanese.

Beyond the basics

What is the difference between 子こどもっぽい and 子こどもらしい?

子こどもっぽい means "childish" and is usually a criticism. 子こどもらしい means "child-like", typical of how a child should be, and is usually a compliment.

This is a famous trap, because English speakers often use "childish" for both, even though English actually keeps the same split: childish is negative, childlike is positive. The Japanese suffix っぽい means "has the feel of something, a bit like it", and it often carries a slightly negative edge. The suffix らしい means "typical of, what you would expect from", and it is often positive.

そんなことで怒おこるなんて、子こどもっぽいよ。 — Getting angry over something like that is childish. (casual, critical) 子こどもらしい笑顔えがおで、見みていて元気げんきが出でる。 — It's such a child-like smile that it lifts my mood. (casual, positive) 彼かれは大人おとななのに、考え方かんがえかたが子こどもっぽい。 — He's an adult, but his way of thinking is childish. (casual, critical) もっと子こどもらしく遊あそびなさい。 — Play more like a kid should. (casual, advice)

A useful test: if an adult does it, it is almost always 子こどもっぽい. If a child does something sweet, honest or playful, it is 子こどもらしい.

What does 子こども扱あつかいしないで mean?

子こども扱あつかい (こどもあつかい) means "treating someone like a child". 子こども扱あつかいしないで means "don't treat me like a kid", and it is one of the most common lines in anime and drama.

子こども扱あつかいしないで!私わたしはもう十六歳じゅうろくさいなんだから。 — Don't treat me like a kid! I'm sixteen already. (casual, angry)

You will hear it from teenage characters who want respect. A related line is 私わたしは子こどもじゃない! (I'm not a child!), which usually has a bite to it. In an anime scene, it is the signal that a character is about to prove something to an older person.

Is ガキ rude?

Yes. ガキ means "brat" or "punk kid", and it is a rough word. Do not use it for real children in front of their parents.

You will hear ガキ in anime, especially from tough, gruff or villain characters, and in manga about delinquents. It can also be used jokingly between close friends, or about yourself in the past (ガキの頃ころ, "back when I was a kid"), but that is a casual, masculine register.

ガキのくせに、生意気なまいきなこと言いうな。 — You're just a brat, don't talk so cheeky. (rude, masculine) ガキの頃ころは、よくあの川かわで遊あそんだ。 — When I was a kid, I often played at that river. (casual, masculine, nostalgic)

If you are not sure, stay with 子こども.

What is こどもの日ひ?

こどもの日ひ (こどものひ) is Children's Day, a national holiday on May 5. It is part of Golden Week, the string of holidays at the start of May.

Families fly carp-shaped streamers called こいのぼり and wish for children's health and growth. Notice that the holiday name is written with hiragana, こどもの日ひ, not with kanji. That is one more small example of the hiragana spelling in official use.

五月ごがつ五日いつかはこどもの日ひで、祝日しゅくじつです。 — May 5 is Children's Day, and it is a national holiday. (polite)

Common mistakes

  • Calling someone else's child 子こども to their face. Say お子こさん. 子こども sounds like you are talking about "a child", not "your child".
  • Saying お子こさん about your own kid. お子こさん is an honorific. For your own, say うちの子こ or 息子むすこ and 娘むすめ.
  • Mixing up 子こどもっぽい and 子こどもらしい. っぽい is childish, らしい is child-like.
  • Using ガキ in polite conversation. It is a rude word. Replace it with 子こども.
  • Thinking 子こ can stand alone anywhere. In most sentences you want 子こども, 男の子おとこのこ or 女の子おんなのこ. Plain 子こ is usually part of a compound.
  • Worrying too much about 子供こども vs 子こども. Both are correct. Consistency matters more than the choice.

Practice

Try each answer before opening it. Questions 3 and 4 are a pair: your own child versus someone else's. Questions 5 and 6 are a second pair: childish versus child-like.

1. Say politely, "I have three children."

Show answer

子こどもが三人さんにんいます。 — 子こども is the neutral word for "children", and 三人さんにん counts people. 子供こども is also correct.

2. Say, "The children are playing in the park."

Show answer

子こどもたちは公園こうえんで遊あそんでいる。 — たち makes it clearly plural, which suits a group of kids.

3. You are talking about your own child. Say, "My kid starts elementary school this year."

Show answer

うちの子こは今年ことしから小学生しょうがくせいです。 — うちの子こ is the warm word for your own child (inside your family).

4. You are talking to a parent. Ask, "How old is your child?"

Show answer

お子こさんは何歳なんさいですか。 — お子こさん is the polite word for someone else's child. This is the pair to question 3.

5. Say, "Getting angry over something like that is childish."

Show answer

そんなことで怒おこるなんて、子こどもっぽいよ。 — っぽい has a negative edge, so it fits a criticism.

6. Say, "It's such a child-like smile that it lifts my mood."

Show answer

子こどもらしい笑顔えがおで、見みていて元気げんきが出でる。 — らしい means typical of a child, which is a compliment. This is the pair to question 5.

7. A teenager shouts, "Don't treat me like a kid! I'm sixteen already."

Show answer

子こども扱あつかいしないで!私わたしはもう十六歳じゅうろくさいなんだから。 — 子こども扱あつかい means "treating like a child", and しないで is "please don't".

8. Say, "May 5 is Children's Day, and it is a national holiday."

Show answer

五月ごがつ五日いつかはこどもの日ひで、祝日しゅくじつです。 — The holiday name is こどもの日ひ, and 祝日しゅくじつ means national holiday.

9. Which is the safer word with a stranger's kid: ガキ or 子こども?

Show answer

子こども — ガキ is rough and rude. 子こども is neutral, and お子こさん is the polite form for their child.

10. Fix: あなたの子こどもは元気げんきですか。 (You want a natural, polite sentence to a parent.)

Show answer

お子こさんは元気げんきですか。 — Japanese avoids あなた, and お子こさん is the polite word for someone else's child.

FAQ

How do you say "child" in Japanese? 子こども (こども), also written 子供こども.

Which is correct, 子こども or 子供こども? Both. Many official texts use 子こども, but 子供こども is also common, and neither is wrong.

How do you say "your child" politely? お子こさん, or お子こ様さま in very formal, business-like settings.

What is the difference between 子こどもっぽい and 子こどもらしい? 子こどもっぽい is "childish" and usually negative. 子こどもらしい is "child-like" and usually positive.

Is ガキ rude? Yes. It means "brat". Use it only with very close friends in a joking way, if at all.

When is Children's Day in Japan? May 5, as こどもの日ひ, a national holiday.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

子ども	こども — child
子供	こども — child (kanji spelling)
子	こ — kid, child (in compounds)
男の子	おとこのこ — boy
女の子	おんなのこ — girl
いい子	いいこ — good kid
子どもたち	こどもたち — children
うちの子	うちのこ — my kid
息子	むすこ — son
娘	むすめ — daughter
お子さん	おこさん — (someone else's) child
お子様	おこさま — (someone else's) child, very formal
赤ちゃん	あかちゃん — baby
幼児	ようじ — toddler, preschooler
小学生	しょうがくせい — elementary school student
子どもっぽい	こどもっぽい — childish
子どもらしい	こどもらしい — child-like
子ども扱い	こどもあつかい — treating like a child
ガキ	ガキ — brat (rude)
こどもの日	こどものひ — Children's Day
祝日	しゅくじつ — national holiday

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime. 子こども扱あつかいしないで is a line you will hear again and again in anime, and お子こさん is the word that makes you sound polite the moment you meet a parent. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or try the Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N5 · Read something at this level: JLPT N5 stories with audio

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