Kodomo is the Japanese word for ‘child’ or ‘kid’, explained

What does “kodomo” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “kodomo” to mean ‘child’ or ‘kid’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “kodomo” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “kodomo”
• Kodomo in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “children” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “kodomo”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “kodomo”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “kodomo”.

• kodomo – 子供 (こども) : a noun meaning ‘child’ or ‘kid’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to someone who is not yet fully grown. So, the usage of this noun is similar to those of the English ones above, I think.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Kodomo in kanji

The kanji expression of “kodomo” consists of the following two characters:

• 子 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘child’ or ‘kid’ in Japanese.
• 供 : a kanji character often used as a suffix to make the plural form of its preceding word.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “kodomo” is literally a plural noun meaning ‘children’ or ‘kids’ in Japanese. To tell the truth, it was originally a plural noun and could work only to mean ‘children’ or ‘kids’. Today, however, Japanese people use it also as a singular noun. Interestingly, they are not sensitive to the noun forms. Plural nouns in Japanese, therefore, often shift back to singular as times change.

More interestingly, they sometimes say “kodomotachi” to mean ‘children’ or ‘kids’ in Japanese. “Tachi” added here is a suffix working to make the plural form of its preceding word. So, the two suffixes are used for the same purpose – plural making. Again, but Japanese people are not sensitive to the noun forms, so this kind of double-plural-making can sometimes happen.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kodomo” and its kanji expression in detail. Next, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “children” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kodomo” to make the object in the sentence.
• suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’. In the example, actually, this is used to mean ‘to love’.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “suki” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “kodomo”. In this example, it works as plural to mean ‘children’ in Japanese.

Example #2: another usage of “kodomo”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• mada – まだ : an adverb meaning ‘still’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “kodomo”. In this example, it works together with the adverb, “mada”. The formed phrase, “mada kodomo”, is often used to mean ‘still a child’ in Japanese.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kodomo” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kodomo – 子供 (こども) : a noun meaning ‘child’ or ‘kid’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘children’ or ‘kids’ in Japanese. As the kanji expression suggests, this word was originally a plural noun.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.