幼 — “infancy / young child” in Japanese

Grade 6よう, おさな

Radical ⼳ · radical 52 The building block this kanji is filed under

“infancy / young child” in Japanese is 幼, read you, osana (よう, おさな). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 幼児 (young child).

Try it now

What does 幼 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	幼
Meaning	infancy / young child
Readings	よう, おさな
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	幼児 (young child)

How to read 幼

幼 is read you (よう) or osana (おさな) depending on the word.

Words with 幼

幼虫ようちゅう
幼体ようたい
幼児
幼稚

Learn 幼 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 幼

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28