赤ちゃん

Japanese
Kanji in this term
赤
あか
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Etymology

Compound of 赤 (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
  • (Tokyo) あ​かちゃん [áꜜkàchàǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])[3]
  • IPA(key): [a̠ka̠t͡ɕã̠ɴ]

Noun

赤(あか)ちゃん • (aka-chan) 

  1. [from 1856–57] a baby, an infant (human or animal)
    赤(あか)ちゃんと僕(ぼく)
    Aka-chan to Boku
    Baby & Me
    • 1984 February 20 [1983 June 15], Motoka Murakami, “気(き)になる新(しん)任(にん)先(せん)生(せい)の巻(まき) [A Little Worried about the New Teacher]”, in 六(ム)三(サ)四(シ)の剣(けん) (六(ム)三(サ)四(シ)の剣(けん)) [Musashi’s Sword], 4th edition, volume 10 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 147:
      きっと十(と)一(いち)の子(こ)よ‼十(と)一(いち)とあの白(しろ)い犬(いぬ)との赤(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 [Vol.26 Michael’s First Night]”, in What’s(ホワッツ) Michael(マイケル)? (What’s(ホワッツ) Michael(マイケル)?) [What’s Michael], 10th edition, volume 2 (fiction), Tokyo: Kodansha, →ISBN, page 30:
      このバカモノ‼ポッポはまだ赤(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. “赤ちゃん”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  2. “赤ちゃん”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎ (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
  3. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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