The word "稚子" is formed by combining the character "稚", meaning young or immature, with the character "子", meaning child. The character "稚" is composed of the semantic radical "禾" (grain), which associates with growth and youth, and the component "隹", which primarily serves as a phonetic indicator. Together, "稚" modifies "子" to specify a young child, resulting in the compound's meaning of infant or youthful offspring.