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How to say 'Ancestor' in Japanese | 祖先

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

The Japanese word for Ancestor is 'Sosen', written as 祖先 in Japanese.'Ancestor' in hiragana is そせん.

    word

    祖先

    Meaning

    Ancestor

    Reading

    そせん

    sosen

    Kanji

    祖Ancestor 先Before, Previous

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '祖先 (そせん)' refers to one's ancestors or forebears. It is commonly used to describe the lineage or family heritage of a person, group, or species. This word carries a respectful tone and is often used in historical, cultural, or genealogical contexts. For example: My ancestors came from Japan「私の祖先は日本から来ました」(わたしのそせんはにほんからきました). We should respect our ancestors「私たちは祖先を尊敬すべきです」(わたしたちはそせんをそんけいすべきです). The word can also be used in a broader sense to refer to the ancestors of humanity or other species, such as in scientific discussions about evolution.

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N3

    Kanji Grade

    5

    Frequency

    7420

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 祖先

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

  • kanji

    祖

    Meaning

    Ancestor

  • kanji

    先

    Meaning

    Before, Previous

Words Related to 祖先 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

    先祖

    Meaning

    Ancestor

Words Related to 祖先 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

    先祖

    Meaning

    Ancestor

  • 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

Learn the Word 祖先

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What does 'Sosen' (祖先) mean?

'Sosen' means 'Ancestor' .

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