Japanese symbol for “lad”
小僧
こぞう
Romaji: kozou
youngster; boy; kid; brat
In Japanese, lad is 小僧, read こぞう (kozou).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n youngster; boy; kid; brat; lad
- n young Buddhist monk; young bonze
- n young shop-boy; errand boy; apprentice
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “lad”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 坊主 | ぼうず bouzu | boy; sonny; lad |
| 兄ちゃん | にいちゃん niichan | young man; sonny; lad |
| 郎子 | いらつこ iratsuko | lad |
| 若い衆 | わかいしゅ wakaishu | young man; youth; lad |
| お兄ちゃん | おにいちゃん oniichan | lad; sonny |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小説 | しょうせつ shousetsu | novel; story; (work of) fiction |
| 小学校 | しょうがっこう shougakkou | primary school; elementary school; grade school |
| 小学生 | しょうがくせい shougakusei | elementary school student; primary school student; grade school student |
| 小型 | こがた kogata | small-sized; small-scale; miniature |
| 小さい | ちいさい chiisai | small; little; tiny |
| 縮小 | しゅくしょう shukushou | reduction; curtailment; cut |
| 僧侶 | そうりょ souryo | priest; monk; bonze |
| 尼僧 | にそう nisou | Buddhist nun |
See also: Chinese symbol for “lad”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.