Japanese symbol for “ancestor”
先祖
せんぞ
Romaji: senzo
ancestor; forefather; foremother
In Japanese, ancestor is 先祖, read せんぞ (senzo).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n ancestor; forefather; foremother
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “ancestor”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 祖先 | そせん sosen | ancestor |
| 親 | おや oya | ancestor; forefather |
| 祖 | そ so | ancestor; forefather; progenitor |
| 前身 | ぜんしん zenshin | antecedents; ancestor; previous position |
| 先人 | せんじん senjin | predecessor; pioneer; ancestor |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 先生 | せんせい sensei | teacher; instructor; master |
| 優先 | ゆうせん yuusen | preference; priority; precedence |
| 先輩 | せんぱい senpai | senior (at school, work, etc.); superior; elder |
| 先日 | せんじつ senjitsu | the other day; a few days ago |
| 先週 | せんしゅう senshuu | last week; the week before |
| 先月 | せんげつ sengetsu | last month |
| 祖父 | そふ sofu | grandfather |
| 祖母 | そぼ sobo | grandmother |
See also: Chinese symbol for “ancestor”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.