Meaning

Primary

Lost Child

Alternatives

Lost Person, Stray Animal

Word Type

noun, の adjective

Explanation

An astray child is nothing more than a lost child, looking for home. You see them looking around, confused and teary-eyed. Help them find their way home — be a hero to this lost child!

Even though 迷子 has (child) in it, it's really more about being lost. So it can also mean a lost person or even a stray animal.

Reading

まいご
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

The reading for is an exceptional reading. The comes from . Think of the まい as the child asking: "Where is my (まい) mommy???"

Context

Context Sentences

ディズニーランドでは迷子の放送がないそうですよ。

I heard that at Disneyland, they don't broadcast for lost children.

日本人でも、新宿駅で迷子になる人は多い。

Even Japanese people often get lost at Shinjuku Station.

ボーッとしてたら、USJで迷子になりかけた。

I wasn't attentive, and I almost got lost at Universal Studios Japan.

迷子の子どもの両親を探してあげようとしていただけなのに、誘拐未遂で起訴されてしまいました。

I was just trying to find the parents of a lost child, but I was accused of attempted kidnapping.

Kanji Composition