How to say "ancestor" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 先祖せんぞnounAncestors of one's own family, viewed across the generations; the natural choice for talking about one's forebears, family roots, or the ancestors one honours.
- 祖先そせんnounOne's ancestors, largely interchangeable with 先祖; it also serves for ancestry beyond one's own line, as of a people or of humankind.
- 祖そnounMeans 'ancestor' or 'progenitor', but in practice it functions as a combining element inside compounds rather than standing alone; to say 'ancestor' in a sentence, use 先祖 or 祖先.
- 先人せんじんnounPeople who went before — predecessors, pioneers, forebears — with a respectful nuance. For one's literal family ancestors 先祖 or 祖先 is the word; 先人 stresses what earlier people achieved or left behind.
- 前身ぜんしんnounMeans what something previously was — its antecedents or earlier incarnation — or a previous position or existence; it is not how you refer to family ancestors, for which 先祖 or 祖先 is the word.
For family ancestors use 先祖 or 祖先; 先人 refers respectfully to predecessors and pioneers; 祖 is essentially a combining element, and 前身 means a previous form or existence, not an ancestor.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
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