1.
kindergartener; child attending kindergarten
A child who attends 幼稚園 (kindergarten), typically aged 3–5 in Japan. Kindergartens are under the Ministry of Education and focus on early childhood education.
幼稚園児が公園で遊んでいる。
Kindergarteners are playing in the park.
幼稚園児でも読める絵本。
A picture book that even a kindergartener can read.
息子は来年から幼稚園児になるので、入園準備を始めた。
My son will start kindergarten next year, so we've begun preparing for enrollment.
Composed of 幼稚園 (kindergarten) + 児 (child). In Japan, 幼稚園 is managed by the Ministry of Education (文部科学省) and focuses on educational development, unlike 保育園 (daycare/nursery), which is under the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
JAPANESE SCHOOL-AGE TERMS:
- 幼稚園児: kindergartener (ages 3–5)
- 保育園児: daycare child (ages 0–5)
- 小学生: elementary school student (ages 6–12)
- 中学生: junior high school student (ages 12–15)
- 高校生: high school student (ages 15–18)
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 幼稚園児向け: aimed at kindergarteners
- 幼稚園児の保護者: parents of kindergarteners
- 幼稚園児でもわかる: even a kindergartener can understand
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 保育園児: daycare child — attends 保育園, which emphasizes childcare over education and accepts younger children
- 園児: kindergartener/nursery child — shorter form that can refer to children at either 幼稚園 or 保育園