子孫|しそんshison[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. noundescendant; progeny; offspring
   合衆国がっしゅうこくは長ながい間あいだ「るつぼ」として知しられているが、それは国民こくみんのほとんどが移民いみんの子孫しそんだからである。↗

   The United States has long been known as a "melting pot" because most of its people are descended from immigrants.

• Synonym末裔まつえいWrittenWritten/formal prose for distant descendants, as in 「平家の末裔」; stresses a bloodline far removed in time.
• Synonym後胤こういんWrittenWritten/formal prose for descendants, often of a distinguished line; rare in modern usage.
• Synonym後裔こうえいWrittenWritten/formal prose for descendants by bloodline, as in 「名家の後裔」; more solemn than 「子孫」.
• Synonym後葉こうようWrittenWritten/formal prose for posterity, but also the medical term for the posterior pituitary; the descendants sense is rare today.
• Synonym子々孫々ししそんそんNeutralNeutral. One's descendants down the generations, as in 「子々孫々まで伝える」; stresses successive generations more than 「子孫」.
• Synonym苗裔びょうえいWrittenWritten/formal prose for distant descendants; rare in modern usage.
• Related末々すえずえNeutralNeutral. Covers the distant future and later ages as well as descendants, as in 「末々まで」; its main weight is on time far ahead rather than bloodline.
• Related児孫じそんWrittenWritten/formal prose for children and grandchildren; an elegant, archaic word, rare in modern usage.
• Related後昆こうこんWrittenWritten/formal prose for posterity and descendants; rare in modern usage.
• Related末孫まっそんWrittenWritten/formal prose for distant descendants; rare in modern usage.
• Related末流ばつりゅうWrittenWritten/formal prose for descendants; can also mean the tail end of a school or tradition; seldom used now.
• Related胤裔いんえいWrittenWritten/formal prose for the heir who carries on a bloodline; rare in modern usage.
• Related裔えいWrittenWritten/formal prose for descendants and lineage; a single-character usage, rare in modern usage.
• Antonym先祖せんぞNeutralNeutral. One's family ancestors, the opposite of 「子孫」.
• Antonym祖先そせんNeutralNeutral. Ancestors in general, including evolutionary ancestors in biology; the opposite of 「子孫」.

Default to 「子孫」 for descendants, as in 「子孫に残す」. Use 「子々孫々」 to stress generation after generation and 「末裔」 for a distant bloodline; 「先祖」 and 「祖先」 are the opposites. 「末々」, as in 「末々まで」, leans toward the far future. 「後裔」「後胤」「苗裔」「末孫」 and the like are rare written terms.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 子こと孫まご。
2. 血筋ちすじを受け継うけついで生うまれてくる人々ひとびと。