親子

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 親子 is read as おやこ and is a noun combining parent and child and treating them as a pair or family group.
• Basic usage: It applies both to a human parent and child acting together and to an animal parent with its young.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Group acting together
  • In 親子でクッキーを焼く, で marks the parent-child group performing the activity together.
• Also used for animals
  • 鴨の親子 groups a parent duck with its young, naturally rendered here as a family of ducks.