赤ちゃん

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
あか
Grade: 1
kun'yomi
 赤ちゃん on Japanese Wikipedia

Etymology

Compound of (aka, red) +‎ ちゃん (-chan, familiarizing suffix).[1][2][3]

Compare 赤ん坊 (akanbō) and 赤子 (akago), both of which also allude to the reddish complexion of a newborn. Compare also the similar formation of Malay anak merah (literally child + red).

First cited to a text from 1856 or 1857.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

(あか)ちゃん (aka-chan

  1. a baby, an infant (human or animal)
    (あか)ちゃん(ぼく)
    Aka-chan to Boku
    Baby & Me
    • 1984 February 20 [1983 June 15], Motoka Murakami, “()になる(しん)(にん)(せん)(せい)(まき)”, in ()()()(けん), 4th edition, volume 10 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 147:
      きっと()(いち)()よ‼()(いち)とあの(しろ)(いぬ)との(あか)ちゃんよ!
      Kitto Toichi no ko yo‼ Toichi to ano shiroi inu to no aka-chan yo!
      These must be Toichi’s puppies!! They’re Toichi and that white dog’s babies!
    • 1986 July 5 [1985 October 18], Makoto Kobayashi, “Vol.26 マイケルの初夜”, in What’s(ホワッツ) Michael(マイケル)?, 10th edition, volume 2 (fiction), Tokyo: Kodansha, →ISBN, page 30:
      このバカモノ‼ポッポはまだ(あか)ちゃんなんだぞ〰〰‼
      Kono bakamono‼ Poppo wa mada aka-chan na n da zo~~‼
      You moron!! Poppo’s still an infant!!

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 赤ちゃん”, in 日本国語大辞典 (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  2. ^ 赤ちゃん”, in デジタル大辞泉 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
  3. 3.0 3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN