Onyomi: ソ · Kunyomi: - · Meanings: ancestor, founder, pioneer
Kanji for ancestor, founder, pioneer
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The kanji 祖 is made from two parts: 礻(the spirit or altar radical) and 且(to join or place together). In ancient times, people honored their ancestors by placing offerings on a sacred altar. The left part, 礻, shows the altar for spirits, and the right part, 且, shows stacked offerings. Together, they mean “ancestor” — someone connected to the family through worship and respect.
Made from 礻(spirit, altar) and 且(offerings). It shows an altar for honoring the spirits of one’s ancestors.
This kanji says: on the altar (礻), offerings (且) are placed for our ancestors — 祖 means ancestor or forefather.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 親 | おや | parent, parents, mother and father | common JLPT-N4 Noun |
| 祖 | そ | ancestor, forefather, progenitor | common Noun |
| 祖父 | そふ | grandfather | common JLPT-N4 Noun |
| 祖母 | そぼ | grandmother | common JLPT-N4 Noun |
| 祖先 | そせん | ancestor | common JLPT-N2 Noun |
| 祖国 | そこく | homeland, motherland, fatherland, native country | common Noun |
| 祖父母 | そふぼ | grandparents | common Noun |
| 婆さん | ばあさん | grandmother | common Noun |
| 爺さん | じいさん | grandfather | common Noun |
| 祖国愛 | そこくあい | patriotism | Noun |