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How to say 'Ancestor' in Japanese | 先祖

Wondering how to say 'Ancestor' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Ancestor is 'Senzo', written as 先祖 in Japanese.'Ancestor' in hiragana is せんぞ.

    word

    先祖

    Meaning

    Ancestor

    Reading

    せんぞ

    senzo

    Kanji

    先Before, Previous 祖Ancestor

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '先祖 (せんぞ)' refers to one's ancestors or forebears. It is commonly used to describe family lineage or those who came before in a family's history. This word carries a sense of respect and is often used in contexts related to family traditions, genealogy, or cultural practices honoring ancestors. For example: I respect my ancestors「私は先祖を尊敬する」(わたしはせんぞをそんけいする). Our ancestors lived here「私たちの先祖はここに住んでいた」(わたしたちのせんぞはここにすんでいた). The term is also used in phrases like '先祖代々 (せんぞだいだい)', meaning 'for generations'.

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N3

    Kanji Grade

    5

    Frequency

    5452

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 先祖

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

  • kanji

    先

    Meaning

    Before, Previous

  • kanji

    祖

    Meaning

    Ancestor

Words Related to 先祖 Through the Kanji 先

These 20 Words contain the Kanji 先 as well.

  • word

    先

    Meaning

    Ahead, Tip

  • word

    先生

    Meaning

    Teacher

  • word

    先ず

    Meaning

    First

  • word

    先月

    Meaning

    Last month

  • word

    先週

    Meaning

    Last week

  • word

    先程

    Meaning

    Earlier

  • word

    先に

    Meaning

    Before

  • word

    先輩

    Meaning

    Senior

  • word

    優先

    Meaning

    Priority

  • word

    先日

    Meaning

    Recently

  • word

    最先端

    Meaning

    Cutting edge

  • word

    宛先

    Meaning

    Address

  • word

    先端

    Meaning

    Tip, Cutting edge

  • word

    先進

    Meaning

    Advancement

  • word

    先行

    Meaning

    Precedence

  • word

    先頭

    Meaning

    Front

  • word

    真っ先

    Meaning

    Forefront

  • word

    指先

    Meaning

    Fingertip

  • word

    勤め先

    Meaning

    Workplace

  • word

    祖先

    Meaning

    Ancestor

Words Related to 先祖 Through the Kanji 祖

These 5 Words contain the Kanji 祖 as well.

  • word

    お祖父さん

    Meaning

    Grandfather

  • word

    お祖母さん

    Meaning

    Grandmother

  • word

    祖父

    Meaning

    Grandfather

  • word

    祖母

    Meaning

    Grandmother

  • word

    祖先

    Meaning

    Ancestor

Learn the Word 先祖

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What does 'Senzo' (先祖) mean?

'Senzo' means 'Ancestor' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.