抱っこ（だっこ、daっko）
- to carry in arms

The Japanese word 抱っこ (だっこ, *dakko*) means "to hold (a baby or child) in one's arms," "to carry (someone) in one's arms," or "to cuddle." It implies lifting someone up and holding them close to your body. It is typically used for infants and young children, often to comfort them or to help them move around. The action involves cradling the child in your arms, usually against your chest.

⚫︎ 赤ちゃんを抱っこする。 Translation: To hold the baby. ⚫︎ 疲れたから、ちょっと抱っこして。 Translation: I'm tired, so can you hold me for a little while? ⚫︎ 子供を抱っこして、公園に行った。 Translation: I held the child in my arms and went to the park.

⚫︎ You can use 抱っこ when you want to physically hold a small child in your arms. ⚫︎ It's common in situations where a child needs comforting, needs to be moved around, or wants to be close to a caregiver. ⚫︎ It is generally used with children, but can occasionally be used for older individuals who are unable to move on their own due to injury or illness. ⚫︎ The word often carries an implication of affection and caring. ⚫︎ The polite form of this verb is 抱っこします (だっこします, *dakko shimasu*)

⚫︎ The word is primarily written in hiragana as だっこ (*dakko*). ⚫︎ The kanji form is 抱っこ. ⚫︎ Sometimes, you may see it written as 抱く (dakú - to hug/embrace) plus the suffix of っこ. This is because the base form of the verb is 抱く, which means "to embrace" or "to hold." The "っ" is a gemination marker which modifies the following syllable. ⚫︎ There are no variations in the okurigana for this word.

There are no perfect direct synonyms for 抱っこ. However, words like these might be related: ⚫︎ 抱く (*daku*) - to hug, to embrace (the root verb of 抱っこ) ⚫︎ おんぶ (*onbu*) - to carry on one's back. ⚫︎ だきしめる (*dakishimeru*) - to hug tightly. (To hug tightly is not perfectly synonym because it is about action of hugging.)

There are no direct antonyms for 抱っこ as it describes a specific action. However, the opposite of the action of holding a child in your arms might be to put the child down or to let the child walk or play independently.

子供が泣いているから、抱っこしてあげよう。 ・Translation: Since the child is crying, let's hold the child. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates the use of 抱っこ to comfort a child who is upset.

重い荷物を持っているから、赤ちゃんを抱っこしてくれない？ ・Translation: I'm carrying heavy luggage, could you hold the baby? ・Explanation: This example shows the practical use of 抱っこ when someone needs help caring for a child.

抱っこ comes from the verb 抱く (*daku*), meaning "to embrace" or "to hold." The suffix "っこ" doesn't have an independent meaning; instead, it's a diminutive or a way of creating a noun. In this case, "っこ" is added to give a more child-like and endearing nuance to the action of holding, usually in the arms.