祖: Ancestor; Pioneer; FounderKanji meaning, readings, and the words that use it
- On'yomi
- ソ
- Level
- JLPT N3Jōyō, grade 5
- Words
- 119 in the dictionary
Words that use the on'yomi (ソ)
- 祖国そこくmotherland; fatherland
- 祖父そふgrandfather
- 祖母そぼgrandmother
- 先祖せんぞancestor
- 祖父母そふぼgrandparents
- 祖そancestor; forefather
- 祖先そせんancestor
- 元祖がんそoriginator; pioneer
- 教祖きょうそfounder of a religious sect
- 始祖しそfounder; originator
- 宗祖しゅうそsect founder
- 父祖ふそancestors
- 開祖かいそ(sect) founder; apostle
- インドヨーロッパ祖語インドヨーロッパそごProto-Indo-European (language)
- 中興の祖ちゅうこうのそancestor who rejuvenated a dynasty or a family
- 亡祖父ぼうそふdeceased grandfather; (one's) late grandfather
- 人猿同祖説じんえんどうそせつmonkey-ancestry theory
- 人祖じんそprogenitor
- 仏祖ぶっそFounder of Buddhism
- 付法の八祖ふほうのはっそthe Eight Lineage Patriarchs who received the transmission of the teachings, leading back to the Vairocana Buddha (Vairocana Buddha, Vajrasattva, Nagarjuna, Nagabodhi, Vajrabodhi, Amoghavajra, Huigo and Kukai) (in Shingon)
- 伝持の八祖でんじのはっそthe eight doctrinal patriarchs who expounded the teachings (Nagarjuna, Nagabodhi, Vajrabodhi, Amoghavajra, Yi Xing, Huigo and Kukai) (in Shingon)
- 先祖の位牌せんぞのいはいancestral tablet
- 先祖代代せんぞだいだいancestral; hereditary
- 先祖伝承せんぞでんしょうwhat has been (orally) handed down from generation to generation; legend
- 先祖伝来せんぞでんらいinherited; family (heirloom)
- 先祖構造体せんぞこうぞうたいancestor structure
- 六祖壇経ろくそだんきょうPlatform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch; Platform Sutra
- 共同祖界きょうどうそかいinternational settlement
- 共通祖先きょうつうそせんcommon ancestor
- 初祖しょそthe first generation of a family; school (of thought) or religious sect
- 医学の祖いがくのそfounder of medical science
- 印欧祖語いんおうそごProto-Indo-European (language)
- 同祖どうそcommon ancestor
- 外祖母がいそぼmaternal grandmother
- 外祖父がいそふmaternal grandfather
- 大祖たいそfounder; progenitor
- 大祖国戦争だいそこくせんそうGreat Patriotic War (Russian name for the war along the eastern front during World War II)
- 天祖てんそthe ancestral Sun Goddess
- 太祖たいそfounder; progenitor
- 始祖鳥しそちょうArchaeopteryx; extinct genus of early birds
Other readings
- お祖母さんおばあさんgrandmother
- お祖父さんおじいさんgrandfather
- お祖母さまおばあさまgrandmother
- お祖母ちゃまおばあちゃまgrandma; granny
- お祖母ちゃんおばあちゃんgranny; grandma
- お祖母ちゃんっ子おばあちゃんっこchild who loves their grandmother
- お祖母ちゃん子おばあちゃんこchild who loves their grandmother
- お祖母様おばあさまgrandmother
- お祖父ちゃまおじいちゃまgrandpa; gramps
- お祖父ちゃんおじいちゃんgrandpa; granddad
- お高祖頭巾おこそずきんkerchief worn by women in former times in Japan in cold weather, covering the whole head (except eyes)
- インド・ヨーロッパ祖語インドヨーロッパそごProto-Indo-European (language)
- 先つ祖さきつおやancestor
- 先の祖さきのおやancestor
- 先祖代々せんぞだいだいancestral; hereditary
- 名祖なおやeponym (person after whom something is named)
- 大祖父おおおおじgreat-grandfather
- 天津御祖あまつみおやimperial ancestor
- 媽祖まそMazu; Chinese goddess of the sea
- 従祖父おおおじgranduncle
Showing the 60 most common of 119 words. See them all in the graph.
Kanji that often appear with 祖
Every word here opens into its own kanji. Follow the branches in Moto.
Explore 祖 →