newborn babe, child, young of animals
児 centers on a young being: a newborn baby, a child, or the young of an animal. It captures the idea of something small and dependent at the start of life.
児 is the modern simplified form of 兒. The older form 兒 is a pictograph of a child with an incompletely closed fontanel at the top, representing a newborn. The modern 旧-like top is a simplification.
The top 旧 looks like a small head with a soft spot, and the bottom 儿 looks like little legs. Together they form a newborn child or young animal.
For ジ, imagine a tiny child saying 'Gee!' in surprise: Gee -> ジ, and the child's wide eyes match the newborn meaning.
children; juvenile
Kagoshima (city, prefecture)
child; boy
young child; toddler
childcare; child-rearing; nursing; upbringing
young child; infant
girl; baby girl
boy; son
orphan
fetus; foetus; embryo; baby in the womb; unborn baby
kindergarten pupil; kindergartener; preschooler; child in daycare
pediatrics
infant (below 1 year old); suckling baby
problem child
newborn baby
babies and preschool children
retard; moron; cripple
baseball-playing teenager; high-school baseball player
infant; child
childcare; day care