童 — “child” in Japanese

Grade 3どう, わらべ

Radical ⽴ · radical 117 The building block this kanji is filed under

“child” in Japanese is 童, read dou, warabe (どう, わらべ). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 童話 (fairy tale).

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What does 童 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	童
Meaning	child
Readings	どう, わらべ
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	童話 (fairy tale)

How to read 童

童 is read dou (どう) or warabe (わらべ) depending on the word.

Words with 童

童話

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Kanji read the same way as 童

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28