子

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 子, read こ, is a noun for a child generally or for a son or daughter in relation to a parent.
• Basic usage: A child in the scene appears in 泣いている子, while family relation appears in 親は子の成長を.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Child and offspring
  • A child encountered in a park and a parent's own child call for different nuances in translation.
• Scope of the relative clause
  • 泣いている modifies only the following 子; it does not claim that every child in the park is crying.