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ancestor, pioneer

JLPT N3 Grade 5 9 strokes
On'yomi

祖 means "ancestor, pioneer". It is a JLPT N3 kanji written in 9 strokes. Its on'yomi (Sino-Japanese) reading is ソ. Japanese schoolchildren learn it in grade 5.

祖 in example sentences

  • わたしそふです。

    Watashi no sofu desu.

    This is my grandfather.

  • かれそふだ。

    Kare wa sofuni da.

    He resembles his grandfather.

  • わたしそぼだいすきです。

    Watashi wa sobo ga daisuki desu.

    I love my grandmother very much.

Example sentences from the Tatoeba Project, licensed CC-BY 2.0 FR.

Stroke order & writing

Want more? Practice writing from memory. Stroke-order and animation sources are on our credits page.

Words that use 祖

Common questions

What does the kanji 祖 mean?
祖 means "ancestor, pioneer". It is a JLPT N3 kanji.
How many strokes does 祖 have?
祖 is written in 9 strokes.
How is 祖 read?
Its on'yomi (Sino-Japanese) reading is ソ.
What JLPT level is 祖?
祖 is a JLPT N3 kanji.