7 Kanji Containing 子 (shi) | Memorize Them at Once with a Common Component
Learn 7 frequently used N4-level kanji that include '子' (child) at the same time.
By linking the meaning and shape of the kanji through a common component, you can memorize them more efficiently.
Explore the on-yomi (Chinese reading), kun-yomi (Japanese reading), and representative words frequently used in daily life for each kanji.
How this bundle was curated
All items at a glance
| Kanji | On-yomi | Kun-yomi | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 子 | し, す | こ | child / offspring |
| 学 | がく | まなぶ | learn / study |
| 好 | こう | このむ, すく | like / fond of |
| 孫 | そん | まご | grandchild |
| 字 | じ | あざ | character / letter |
| 季 | き | - | season |
| 孤 | こ | - | lonely / alone |
Item by item
Kun: こ
On: し, す
child / offspring
This is a pictograph modeled after the shape of a 'child'. It acts as an important radical that provides semantic clues when combined with other kanji.
Kun: まなぶ
On: がく
learn / study
This depicts a child (子) learning something with both hands under a roof (冖). It means 'to learn' or 'study'.
Kun: このむ, すく
On: こう
like / fond of
Derived from the image of a woman (女) holding a child (子), it carries the meaning of 'to like' or 'beautiful'.
Kun: まご
On: そん
grandchild
It came to mean 'grandchild' from the idea of a child (子) continuing the family line like a thread (糸).
Kun: あざ
On: じ
character / letter
Just as children (子) multiply inside a house (宀), characters derived and increased in number, which led to this kanji meaning 'character' or 'letter'.
Kun: き
On: き
season
Combining the harvest time of rice (禾) and the idea of a young (youngest) season like a child (子), it represents 'season' or 'end'.
Kun: こ
On: こ
lonely / alone
From the image of a child (子) left alone without parents, it came to mean 'lonely' or 'alone'.
Practice with examples
How to decide when unsure
- When '子' is used as a radical, it generally adds meanings related to 'person (child)', 'descendants', or 'small things'.
- While the kanji '子' itself is read as 'し' (shi) for on-yomi and 'こ' (ko) for kun-yomi, other kanji containing '子' have completely different readings, such as 'がく' (学) or 'そん' (孫). Therefore, it is best to memorize them as vocabulary words.
- For similarly shaped kanji like '字' (character) and '学' (learn), it is helpful to memorize them by carefully distinguishing the top radicals (宀 vs ⺍+冖).
Common mistakes
Both kanji have '子' at the bottom and a cover-like shape at the top, making them easy to confuse when writing or reading. It is easier to distinguish them if you associate '字' with a house (宀) and '学' with the roof of a school or learning place.
Wrong example: 漢学(かんがく)が綺麗ですね。/Correct example: 漢字(かんじ)が綺麗ですね。
For similarly shaped kanji, you need to practice identifying them accurately through the context in which the words are used.
Mini quiz
Which of the following kanji means 'grandchild', originating from the idea of 'children continuing the family line'?
One-line summary
By grouping and studying kanji around the common component '子', you can easily connect their shapes and meanings, significantly increasing your kanji memorization efficiency.
FAQ
Is the kanji '子' always read as 'こ' (ko)?
No. While the kun-yomi 'こ' (ko), as in '子供(こども)', is frequently used, the on-yomi 'し' (shi) is also very common in words like '女子(じょし)' and '男子(だんし)'. Since the reading changes depending on the word, it is most natural to memorize them as whole vocabulary words.
Why is the kanji '好' made up of 'woman' and 'child'?
It is said that the positive meaning of 'beautiful' or 'good' derived from the image of a woman (mother) holding a child, or a harmonious scene of a man and a woman (son and daughter).
