also: ままっこ
noun
stepchild
Refers to a child from a spouse's previous relationship. The reading けいし is rare and formal.
彼女は夫の連れ子である継子を自分の子のように育てた。
She raised her husband's child from a previous marriage, her stepchild, as if it were her own.
継子いじめは昔話によく出てくるテーマだ。
Mistreatment of stepchildren is a common theme in old tales.
Variant with geminated reading; colloquial or dialectal feel.
Search-only form; not a standard spelling.
連れ子 specifically refers to a child brought into a new marriage by one's spouse, while 継子 is the general term for stepchild from the perspective of the stepparent.
義理の子 is a broader term for a child related by marriage, including stepchildren and adopted children, whereas 継子 is specifically a stepchild.
Compound of 継 (step-, non-biological) and 子 (child). The reading まま is from 継 (step-), as in 継母 (stepmother).