JLPT N3 · 9 strokes
Kanji 祖: "ancestor, pioneer, founder"
The kanji 祖 means "ancestor, pioneer, founder". It is written with 9 strokes and belongs to JLPT level N3, read ソ in on'yomi.
Stroke order
Strokes are written in the order of the numbers. The order is not decorative: it is what gives the character its balance, and it is also how handwriting search works in Japanese dictionaries.
Readings
On'yomi (Sino-Japanese reading)
ソ
Kun'yomi (native Japanese reading)
no recorded reading
In a kun'yomi reading, the dot separates the kanji from its okurigana: かた.る is read かたる and written 語る. A hyphen marks a bound position, like -び in 日.
At a glance
| Meaning | ancestor, pioneer, founder |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 9 |
| JLPT level | N3 |
| Taught in Japan | grade 5 |
| Frequency rank | 1226 of 2,501 |
Common words with 祖
The most frequent words using this kanji, most common first, with furigana readings. Click one to open it in the reader.
- 祖父grandfather · old man
- 先祖ancestor; forefather; foremother
- 祖母grandmother
- お祖父さんgrandfather · male senior-citizen; old man
- お祖母さんgrandmother · old woman; female senior citizen
- 祖国homeland; motherland; fatherland; native country
- 祖先ancestor
- 始祖founder; originator; pioneer
- 祖父母grandparents
- 祖ancestor; forefather; progenitor · originator; pioneer; inventor; founder
- 教祖founder of a religious sect
- 先祖代々ancestral; hereditary; handed down from generation to generation · for generations; from generation to generation
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