The kanji 童 primarily means "child," "youth," or "youngster." It refers to someone of a young age, typically a child or a youth. It carries the connotation of innocence, naiveté, and inexperience. The character can also describe a young servant or attendant.

・On-yomi (音読み): ドウ (dō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): わら(わら)べ (warabe)

⚫︎ 童話 (dōwa) Translation: Fairy tale; children's story ⚫︎ 児童 (jidō) Translation: Child; juvenile ⚫︎ 童心 (dōshin) Translation: Childlike innocence; childlike spirit

The kanji 童 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字; keisei moji). It combines two components: the radical 立 (立, "to stand") on the top and 里 (里, "village" or "neighborhood") below. The lower part 里 originally indicates a place or a dwelling. Together, these elements suggest "a young person in the village" or "a standing person in the village." The character evolved to represent a child or a young person.