• 子こ — child
• 子供こども — children
• 男子だんし — boy
• 女子じょし — girl
• 王子おうじ — prince
• 帽子ぼうし — hat
• 恵子けいこ — Keiko (lit. “blessed child”)

“子” originally depicted a child with arms raised. It’s simple and deeply rooted in words for people, family, and nature. It also appears in zodiac signs (like 子 for the Rat) and is still used in timekeeping and naming systems.

子こどもが 元気げんきに 遊あそんでいます。
The children are playing happily.

子こねこが 可愛かわいいです。
The kitten is cute.