末裔・末えい|まつえいmatsuei[0]heiban (flat)

1. noundescendant

• Synonym子孫しそんNeutralThe everyday, most common word: descendants in general — children, grandchildren and beyond — without 「末裔」's nuance that many generations have passed.
• Synonym後裔こうえいWrittenA written synonym of 「末裔」, rare even in prose, that does not particularly stress the distance in generations.
• Related後胤こういんFormalFormal, archaic word for the bloodline of later generations, often for noble families; more solemn than 「末裔」.
• Related末流ばつりゅうWrittenWritten and rarer than 「末裔」; also means the lower reaches of a river or the last, declining years of an age.
• Related後葉こうようWrittenWritten and rare; means later generations, but is also the medical term for the posterior pituitary, so its use is specialized.
• Related苗裔びょうえいWrittenWritten and rare; distant descendants with the emphasis on carrying on the bloodline — close in sense to 「末裔」.
• Related末孫まっそんWrittenWritten and rare; distant descendants, nearly synonymous with 「末裔」 but even less common.
• Related裔えいWrittenA one-character written word, mostly seen in compounds; more archaic than 「末裔」.
• Antonym先祖せんぞNeutralThe everyday word for ancestors, often heard as 「ご先祖様」; it stands opposite 「末裔」, which points to distant descendants.
• Antonym祖先そせんNeutralAlso means ancestors, but extends to biology and evolution; more academic than 「先祖」, and the opposite of 「末裔」.
• Antonym始祖しそWrittenA written word for the founder or originator — the very first one — rather than those who come after; the opposite of 「末裔」.

「末裔」 is for descendants many generations removed, as in 「平家の末裔」; for descendants in general use the everyday 「子孫」. Written synonyms: 「後裔」 is the same word without stressing the distance in generations; 「後胤」 is more solemn and suits noble lineages; 「苗裔」「末孫」「裔」 are rarer and archaic; 「末流」 and 「後葉」 are uncommon and specialized. Opposites: 「先祖」「祖先」, and 「始祖」 for the very first one.

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

1. 遠とおい子孫しそん。ずっと後あとの子孫しそん。