Children's words in Japanese

In Japanese, a dog is not always just 犬 (inu). To a toddler, and often to the adult talking to that toddler, it is ワンワン (wanwan)—the bark turned into a word. The same happens with sleep, hands, shoes, and a long list of everyday things that sound “childish” only when an adult says them outside that context.

Those forms are not random slang. They sit in a real pocket of the language: baby talk and caregiver speech (幼児語 / yōjigo, also discussed as 育児語 / ikujigo). Many entries below are simplifications or affectionate doubles that children learn early—and that adults still use with kids, pets, or a playful tone. A “childish” label does not ban the word; it marks the register.

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What Japanese children’s words really are

English often softens adult words (“doggie,” “blankie”). Japanese baby talk frequently replaces the adult noun with a different form—often an onomatopoeia, a repeated mora, or an honorific body-part form used mainly with small children. Caregivers drop particles and lean on short units: one word that stands for a whole request or situation.

You will also hear adult-friendly “cute” words that never fully leave the language: 抱っこ (dakko, holding a child in the arms), おんぶ (onbu, piggyback), 高い高い (takai takai, lifting a child up). Neighboring layers include pure sound-mimic words; if you want that broader map, see the guide to Japanese onomatopoeia.

List of children’s and baby-talk words in Japanese

The table mixes toilet-training vocabulary, body words, family nicknames, and everyday baby talk. Some entries for genitals are crude or slangy; dictionaries still list them because speakers know them, not because every item is polite classroom Japanese. Treat the list as a map of real usage, not as a ranking of “most popular” words and not as a script to drop into formal speech.

Responsive table: scroll sideways on small screens.

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
うんこ	unko	poop (childish)
うんち	unchi	poop (softer childish form)
おしっこ	oshikko	pee, wee (urine); to pee
しっこ	shikko	pee (variant without the お)
尿尿	shiishii	urine / “shi-shi” style baby talk
お漏らし	omorashi	wetting oneself; having an accident
おちんちん	ochinchin	penis (childish)
ちんこ	chinko	penis (colloquial / childish)
ちんちん	chinchin	penis (childish)
チンポ	chinpo	penis (slang)
ポコチン	pokochin	penis (playful / slangy)
たまたま	tamatama	testicles (childish)
おっぱい	oppai	breasts; also breast milk in baby care talk
ぱいぱい	paipai	breasts (reduplicated baby form)
べべ	bebe	clothes; also regional/childish body senses
おべべ	obebe	clothes (cute form)
とと	toto	fish / bird / “daddy”-adjacent baby senses (context)
御魚	ototo	fish (child-directed)
きんとと	kintoto	little fish (cute)
糞	baba	poop; something dirty (childish reading)
お日様	ohisama	the sun (affectionate)
這い這い	haihai	crawling on all fours
抱っこ	dakko	holding / carrying a child in one’s arms
頬っぺ	hoppe	cheek
旨々	umauma	yummy / “eat well” baby talk
ポッケ	pokke	pocket
楽チン	rakuchin	easy-peasy; effortless
ねんね	nenne	sleep; go to bed; nap
御睡	onemu	sleepy; sleep (child-directed)
あんよ	anyo	foot / feet; walking (classic baby talk)
飯	manma	cooked rice / food (baby form)
ばっちい	bacchii	dirty
ばばっちい	babacchii	dirty, filthy
お手手	otete	hands (child-directed)
お目目	omeme	eyes (child-directed)
御頭	otsumu	head (child-directed)
たんま	tanma	time-out in a game; pause
がんば	ganba	short for “hang in there” / keep going
お座り	osuwari	sit down
半分こ	hanbunko	splitting something in half between two people
脱ぎ脱ぎ	nuginugi	taking clothes off (playful double)
母ちゃん	kaachan	mommy
父ちゃん	touchan	daddy
お父ちゃん	otouchan	daddy (with honorific feel)
ばあば	baaba	grandma
じいじ	jiiji	grandpa
お爺ちゃま	ojiichama	grandpa (extra-cute)
お祖母ちゃま	obaachama	grandma (extra-cute)
ワン子	wanko	doggy / puppy
ワンちゃん	wanchan	doggy / puppy
おぶう	obuu	hot water / drinkable liquid (baby talk)
ごろごろ様	gorogorosama	thunder (personified baby talk)
英語人	eigojin	English speaker / “English person” (child framing of foreigners)
おんも	onmo	outside
ミッキバリア	mikkibaria	playful “protective shield” / pretend immunity
ぎったんばっこん	gittanbakkon	seesaw
撫で撫で	nadenade	stroking, petting
御饅	oman	manjū (sweet bun, child form)
鳩ぽっぽ	hatopoppo	pigeon / dove (baby talk)
順番こ	junbanko	taking turns
高い高い	takaitakai	lifting a child high up
おみや	omiya	souvenir / omiyage (short cute form)
きれいきれい	kireikirei	washing / cleaning (often hands)
ちいちい	chiichii	bug / louse-style small insect talk
てんてん	tenten	hand towel (baby talk)
くっく	kukku	shoes
のの	nono	god / Buddha / sun / moon (household baby talk)
くちゃい	kuchai	smelly, stinky (child pronunciation path of くさい)
拭き拭き	fukifuki	wiping / drying
かんかん	kankan	hair / head (baby talk)
銭	zeze	money (childish reading)

How these forms are built

Several patterns repeat across the list:

• Sound words as nouns — animals and machines become their noise: dogs as ワンワン, cars as ブーブー in caregiver speech.
• Reduplication — ねんね, きれいきれい, 撫で撫で, 脱ぎ脱ぎ: the double makes the action easier to chant and remember.
• Honorific body parts for kids — お手手, お目目, 御頭 sit beside adult 手 and 目; あんよ is a classic exception without the usual honorific package.
• Short requests — one unit can mean “sit,” “sleep,” or “hands clean” without a full adult sentence.

Regional homes swap details: what a Tokyo caregiver says for “dirty” or “sit” may differ in Kyushu or western Japan. The table favors widely recognized forms, not every dialect variant.

When adults still use them

Parents and grandparents stay in this register with toddlers. Adults also keep some items as soft slang, comic effect, or pet talk—especially toilet words and 抱っこ-style caregiving vocabulary. In anime and manga, the same words flag a childish character, a flirty tease, or a joke that lands because everyone knows the “baby” reading.

If you are building wider Japanese vocabulary beyond this register, pair the list with structured study such as JLPT N5 verbs so the adult forms sit next to the baby-talk map instead of replacing it.

A note on tone and accuracy

One common mix-up in older lists: おしっこ (oshikko) is pee, not a word for penis. The penis-side childish set is おちんちん / ちんこ and related slang. Keeping those apart matters if you are watching kids’ media, reading parenting guides, or decoding jokes without guessing from romaji alone.

Use the list to recognize what you hear and read. Default to adult vocabulary in class, work, and with people you do not know well—then enjoy the childish layer when the situation is clearly playful or aimed at children.