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Kanji Detail for 祖 - "ancestor"

祖

  • Meaning

    祖 means "ancestor." Also associated with grandparent, founder.

    1. Grandparent - Parent parent; ancestor.

    2. Founder - First person of a lineage; progenitor.

  • Words using 祖

    • 祖国 そこく Listen homeland; motherland; fatherland
    • 祖父 そふ Listen grandfather; old man; kyogen mask used for the role of an old man
    • 祖母 そぼ Listen grandmother
    • 先祖 せんぞ Listen ancestor; forefather; foremother
    • 祖父母 そふぼ Listen grandparents
    • 祖先 そせん Listen ancestor
    • 元祖 がんそ Listen originator; pioneer; inventor
    • 教祖 きょうそ Listen founder of a religious sect

  • Four-character idioms with 祖

    • 先祖伝来 せんぞでんらい Listen inherited; family (heirloom); ancestral
    • 父祖伝来 ふそでんらい Listen hereditary; patrimonial; handed down from generation to generation
    • 祖先伝来 そせんでんらい Listen hereditary
    • 祖先崇拝 そせんすうはい Listen ancestor worship

  • Tattoo check: 祖

    • Verified meaning: ancestor
    • Jinmeiyō kanji — officially approved for use in Japanese given names
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read そ, たかそ)
    • Also carries these associations: grandparent, founder

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of 祖

    Surnames 祖(そ)Listen 祖(たかそ)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    ancestor

  • Onyomi

    tip

    so(ソ) ソ

  • Kunyomi

    tip
    none

  • Strokes

    tip

    10 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    示 礻 (shimesu・shimesuhen)

  • Related Keywords

    grandparent founder ancestor grandfather model originator ancestry bloodline descent family tree forebear forefather genealogy heritage legacy lineage predecessor progenitor roots tradition

Sentences including 祖

  • Grandmother carried the table by herself.

  • My grandmother gave me more than i wanted.

  • I live with my mother , brother and my grandparents.

  • My grandmother became sick last week.

  • They defended their country.

  • It is ten years since my grandfather died.

  • My grandmother has got old.

  • I saw grandfather last week.

  • My grandfather likes to walk.

  • This is a picture of my grandmother.

More kanji with the radical 示 礻 (shimesu・shimesuhen)

See all kanji with this radical →

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