子（こ、ko）
- child

The Japanese word 子 こ primarily means "child" or "kid." It can refer to offspring, both human and animal. It can also function as a suffix, denoting a person's role or position. Further, it can have broader meanings related to smallness, or an element that is the opposite of the father/parent.

⚫︎ 子供 Translation: Child ⚫︎ 女の子 Translation: Girl (literally, "child woman") ⚫︎ 原子 Translation: Atom (literally, "original child" - in the sense of the smallest unit)

⚫︎ Use こ to refer to a child, especially your own or someone you are familiar with. ⚫︎ As a suffix, こ is attached to other words to specify a role or a younger person associated with that role. ⚫︎ Be mindful of the context when こ is a suffix, as it can be used for both literal "child" connotations and broader ones.

⚫︎ The basic form is written with the kanji 子. ⚫︎ It is read as こ in hiragana. ⚫︎ As a suffix, the okurigana is usually omitted (e.g., 男の子).

⚫︎ 子供（こども） - child, kids ⚫︎ 赤ちゃん（あかちゃん） - baby ⚫︎ 坊や（ぼうや） - boy (informal) ⚫︎ 娘（むすめ） - daughter ⚫︎ 息子（むすこ） - son

⚫︎ 親（おや） - parent ⚫︎ 大人（おとな） - adult

あの子は私の妹の子です。 ・Translation: That child is my younger sister's child. ・Explanation: This sentence uses こ to refer to a child related to the speaker.

社長子は、とても優秀です。 ・Translation: The president's son is very capable. ・Explanation: This sentence uses the suffix こ (社長子) to mean "president's son."

The kanji 子 represents a child. Its origins trace back to pictographic representations of a baby. The word itself is an ancient Japanese word and has been used for centuries to denote the concept of "child."