Child
Definition
Child is a noun. It refers to a young human being below the age of puberty, generally a boy or girl, who is still developing physically and emotionally. It can also refer to a person's offspring, regardless of age.
Parts of Speech
- Noun
Pronunciation
American English
- IPA Pronunciation: /ʧaɪld/
- Respelling: chahyld
British English
- IPA Pronunciation: /ʧaɪld/
- Respelling: chahyld
The pronunciation of "child" is the same in both American and British English.
Etymology
The word "child" originates from Old English "cild," meaning "fetus" or "infant." Its origins are Germanic, and similar terms appear in Old Norse, Danish, and Swedish. Over time, it evolved to refer broadly to a young human being or a descendant.
Derivatives
- Childhood (noun)
- Childish (adjective)
- Childlike (adjective)
- Children (plural noun)
- Childless (adjective)
Synonyms
- Kid
- Youngster
- Minor
Antonyms
- Adult
- Grown-up
- Elder
Usage
The term "child" is widely used to refer to a young person, as in "The child played in the park." It can also denote someone's son or daughter, such as "She is their only child."
Related Terms
- Infant: A very young child, typically under one year of age.
- Adolescent: A young person transitioning from childhood to adulthood.
- Offspring: A person’s biological descendant, often used in a broader sense.
Detailed Definitions
Noun
- A young human being below the age of puberty: Refers to a boy or girl in the early stages of life.
- Example: "The child learned to read before starting school."
- Offspring of a person, regardless of age: Used to describe a person's son or daughter.
- Example: "Each child in the family inherited different talents."
child
The innocent child is playing with a colorful balloon.
She is the child of my uncle; hence, my cousin.
Nestled under a tree, the child was deeply engrossed in an illustrated book.
🇨🇳 Mandarin (Chinese)
- 孩子 (young human being)
- IPA Pronunciation: /xaɪ˥˩ dzɨ˥˩/
- Respelling in English: háizǐ
- 儿女 (son or daughter)
- IPA Pronunciation: /ɚ˥˩ nü˧˥/
- Respelling in English: érnǚ
🇮🇳 Hindi
- बच्चा (young human being)
- IPA Pronunciation: /bəʧːɑː/
- Respelling in English: bacchā
🇪🇸 Spanish
- Niño/a (young human being)
- IPA Pronunciation: /ˈniɲo/
- Respelling in English: niño
- Hijo/a (son or daughter)
- IPA Pronunciation: /ˈixo/
- Respelling in English: hijo
🇫🇷 French
- Enfant (young human being)
- IPA Pronunciation: /ɑ̃.fɑ̃/
- Respelling in English: enfant
- Fils/fille (son or daughter)
- IPA Pronunciation: /fis/ for fils, /fij/ for fille
- Respelling in English: fils (for boys), fille (for girls)
🇸🇦 Modern Standard Arabic
- طفل (young human being)
- IPA Pronunciation: /tˤifl/
- Respelling in English: ṭifl
- ابن/بنت (son or daughter)
- IPA Pronunciation: /ibn/ for ابن, /bint/ for بنت
- Respelling in English: ibn (for boys), bint (for girls)
🇧🇩 Bengali
- শিশু (young human being)
- IPA Pronunciation: /ʃiʃu/
- Respelling in English: shishu
🇷🇺 Russian
- Ребёнок (young human being)
- IPA Pronunciation: /rʲɪˈbjɵnək/
- Respelling in English: rebyonok
- Сын/дочь (son or daughter)
- IPA Pronunciation: /sɨn/ for сын, /dot͡ɕ/ for дочь
- Respelling in English: syn (for boys), doch (for girls)
🇵🇹 Portuguese
- Criança (young human being)
- IPA Pronunciation: /kriˈɐ̃sɐ/
- Respelling in English: criança
- Filho/a (son or daughter)
- IPA Pronunciation: /ˈfiʎu/ for filho, /ˈfiʎɐ/ for filha
- Respelling in English: filho (for boys), filha (for girls)
🇮🇩 Indonesian
- Anak (young human being, son, or daughter)
- IPA Pronunciation: /ˈanak/
- Respelling in English: anak
🇩🇪 German
- Kind (young human being)
- IPA Pronunciation: /kɪnt/
- Respelling in English: kind
- Sohn/Tochter (son or daughter)
- IPA Pronunciation: /zoːn/ for Sohn, /ˈtɔxtɐ/ for Tochter
- Respelling in English: sohn (for boys), tochter (for girls)
🇯🇵 Japanese
- 子供 (young human being, son, or daughter)
- IPA Pronunciation: /koːdoːmo/
- Respelling in English: kodomo
🇻🇳 Vietnamese
- Trẻ em (young human being)
- IPA Pronunciation: /ʈʂe˧ˀ˨ʔ ʔem˧˥/
- Respelling in English: trẻ em
- Con trai/con gái (son or daughter)
- IPA Pronunciation: /kon ʈʂaːj/ for con trai, /kon ɣaːj/ for con gái
- Respelling in English: con trai (for boys), con gái (for girls)
🇰🇷 Korean
- 아이 (young human being)
- IPA Pronunciation: /a.i/
- Respelling in English: ai
- 아들/딸 (son or daughter)
- IPA Pronunciation: /a.dʌl/ for 아들, /t͈al/ for 딸
- Respelling in English: adeul (for boys), ttal (for girls)
🇹🇷 Turkish
- Çocuk (young human being)
- IPA Pronunciation: /ˈtʃod͡ʒuk/
- Respelling in English: çocuk
- Oğul/kız (son or daughter)
- IPA Pronunciation: /oːul/ for oğul, /kɯz/ for kız
- Respelling in English: oğul (for boys), kız (for girls)
🇵🇰 Urdu
- بچہ (young human being)
- IPA Pronunciation: /bət͡ʃʰaː/
- Respelling in English: bacha
- بیٹا/بیٹی (son or daughter)
- IPA Pronunciation: /beːʈaː/ for بیٹا, /beːʈiː/ for بیٹی
- Respelling in English: beṭā (for boys), beṭī (for girls)
