KanjiSchool KanjiSchool
Kanji › Grade 5 › 祖
祖
Kyōiku Kanji

祖 — “ancestor” in Japanese

Grade 5そ
Radical ⽰ · radical 113 The building block this kanji is filed under

“ancestor” in Japanese is 祖, read so (そ). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 祖父母 (grandparents).

Try it now

What does 祖 mean?

Full details, readings & example
Kanji祖
Meaningancestor
Readingsそ
GradeGrade 5 (Hard)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example祖父母 (grandparents)

How to read 祖

祖 is read so (そ) depending on the word.

Words with 祖

Learn 祖 in real sentences — free
Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.
Start free — no credit card →

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28
Learn 祖 the way Japanese kids do Start free