子 — Kanji Reference

子

Property	Value
Meaning	child
Strokes	3
JLPT Level	N5
On-reading (音読み)	シ、ス
Kun-reading (訓読み)	こ
Radical	子 (child) [U+5B50]

Stroke Order

The kanji 子 is written in 3 strokes:

Stroke 1: A horizontal stroke that curves slightly downward at the end, starting from the left.
Stroke 2: A vertical stroke that curves into a hook (hane) at the bottom.
Stroke 3: A horizontal stroke that crosses the vertical line, written from left to right.

General Rule: Follows the top-to-bottom and left-to-right rules. Note that the final horizontal stroke acts as a "base" for the child's arms.

Radical Analysis

The kanji 子 is its own radical (部首: こ). Historically, it is a pictograph representing a swaddled infant with a large head and outstretched arms. Because it is a fundamental character, it often appears as a component in other kanji to denote smallness or to provide phonetic value.

Mnemonic

The Swaddled Baby: Imagine the top horizontal line is the baby's head, the vertical line with the hook is the body wrapped in a blanket, and the bottom horizontal line represents the baby's arms reaching out to be held.

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

シ (shi)

Word	Reading	Romaji	English
女子	じょし	joshi	girl / woman
男子	だんし	danshi	boy / man
子孫	しそん	shison	descendants
電子	でんし	denshi	electron / electronic

ス (su)

Word	Reading	Romaji	English
椅子	いす	isu	chair
拍子	ひょうし	hyoushi	rhythm / beat

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

こ (ko)

Word	Reading	Romaji	English
子供	こども	kodomo	child
子犬	こいぬ	koinu	puppy
子猫	こねこ	koneko	kitten

JLPT N5 Words Using 子

Word	Reading	Romaji	English	JLPT
子供	こども	kodomo	child	N5
女子	じょし	joshi	girl	N5
男子	だんし	danshi	boy	N5
椅子	いす	isu	chair	N5
調子	ちょうし	choushi	condition / tone	N4
様子	ようす	yousu	appearance	N4
帽子	ぼうし	boushi	hat	N5
息子	むすこ	musuko	son	N4
娘	むすめ	musume	daughter	N4
子守り	こもり	komori	babysitting	N4

Example Sentences

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English
子供が公園で遊んでいます。	こどもがこうえんであそんでいます。	Kodomo ga kouen de asonde imasu.	The child is playing in the park.
椅子に座ってください。	いすにすわってください。	Isu ni suwatte kudasai.	Please sit in the chair.
彼女は帽子をかぶっています。	かのじょはぼうしをかぶっています。	Kanojo wa boushi o kabutte imasu.	She is wearing a hat.
最近、調子はどうですか。	さいきん、ちょうしはどうですか。	Saikin, choushi wa dou desu ka.	How have you been lately?
彼は私の息子です。	かれはわたしのむすこです。	Kare wa watashi no musuko desu.	He is my son.
電子辞書を使います。	でんしじしょをつかいます。	Denshi jisho o tsukaimasu.	I use an electronic dictionary.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji	Reading	Meaning	How to distinguish
子	こ	child	Has a horizontal stroke at the bottom.
了	りょう	finish	Lacks the bottom horizontal stroke; the hook is more pronounced.
予	よ	advance	Contains the 子 shape but with an extra stroke on the left side.

Usage Frequency Note

子 is one of the most frequently used kanji in the Japanese language. It appears in daily conversation, literature, and formal writing. Because it is a fundamental character, it is taught in the first year of elementary school (Grade 1). It is also extremely common as a suffix in female given names (e.g., 花子 - Hanako).