Japanese word

幼少

Pronunciation

Romajiyōshō

Meaning

  • nounchildhood

Example

私は幼少のころ、祖母と暮らしていました。watashi wa yō shō no ko ro so bo to ku ra shi te i ma shi ta

I lived with my grandmother during my childhood.

Illustration for 幼少 (childhood)

More examples

私は幼少の記憶を絵にして残しています。watashi wa yō shō no ki oku o e ni shi te noko shi te i ma su

I preserve my childhood memories in paintings.

Core concept

Highlights the early stage of life when a person is still very young.

Common phrases

  • 幼少の頃yō shō no koro

    in childhood

  • 幼少の記憶yō shō no ki oku

    childhood memories

Similar words

幼年期yōnenki: The early period of life when a person is still a young child.
幼児期yōjiki: The stage of childhood before a child enters elementary school.
子供時代kodomojidai: The period of life from early childhood until adolescence.

Definition in Japanese

年齢がまだ非常に若く、子ども時代の初めにあたる時期。nen rei ga ma da hi jō ni waka ku ko do mo ji dai no haji me ni a ta ru ji ki

Word origin

幼少 (yōshō) is a Sino-Japanese compound of 幼 (yō, "young") and 少 (shō, "little"), referring to an early age.

Usage tips

  • In formal biographies, 幼少 (yōshō) often appears in 幼少期 (yōshōki), while everyday speech commonly uses 子どものころ (kodomo no koro).

Other meanings

  • infancynoun
  • tender agenoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word