Japanese kanji 祖: ancestors and grandparents

The idea

祖 has 9 strokes and the common on-reading そ. Read 祖先（そせん）, 祖父（そふ） and 祖母（そぼ） as whole words; use the linked diagram to follow the stroke order.

Examples

• 祖母そぼに祖先そせんの話はなしを聞ききました。I heard about my ancestors from my grandmother.
• 祖父そふは京都きょうとに住すんでいます。My grandfather lives in Kyoto.
• 祖母そぼはおいしいスープを作つくります。My grandmother makes delicious soup.
• 私わたしたちは祖先そせんのお墓はかを訪たずねました。We visited the graves of our ancestors.
• 彼かれの祖父そふは先生せんせいでした。His grandfather was a teacher.
• 祖父母そふぼの古ふるい写真しゃしんを見みつけました。I found an old photograph of my grandparents.

Watch out

祖先 means ancestors in general, while 祖父 and 祖母 mean grandfather and grandmother. When speaking respectfully about someone else’s grandparents, おじいさん and おばあさん are often used.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 祖先 in hiragana.

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   そせん

   祖先 is そせん: it refers to ancestors. The sentence describes hearing about them from a grandmother.

2. Write the reading of 祖父 in hiragana.

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   そふ

   祖父 is そふ: it means one’s grandfather. The example places him in Kyoto.

3. Choose the missing kanji: ＿母（そぼ）［祖／組］.

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   祖

   祖 completes 祖母（そぼ）, grandmother. 組 is a different kanji and does not form this word.

Use it today

Write 祖 following the diagram, cover the table and read the three words aloud. Then make a sentence about a grandparent.