Japanese symbol for “grandfather”
祖父
そふ
Romaji: sofu
grandfather
In Japanese, grandfather is 祖父, read そふ (sofu).
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 grandfather
- n old man
- n kyogen mask used for the role of an old man
Written forms: 祖父. Readings: そふ、じじ、じい、おおじ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “grandfather”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 爺さん | じいさん jiisan | grandfather |
| お祖父さん | おじいさん ojiisan | grandfather |
| 祖 | そ so | grandfather |
| 爺ちゃん | じいちゃん jiichan | grandfather |
| おじい様 | おじいさま ojiisama | grandfather |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 祖母 | そぼ sobo | grandmother |
| 先祖 | せんぞ senzo | ancestor; forefather; foremother |
| 祖先 | そせん sosen | ancestor |
| 祖国 | そこく sokoku | homeland; motherland; fatherland |
| 元祖 | がんそ ganso | originator; pioneer; inventor |
| 父親 | ちちおや chichioya | father |
| お父さん | おとうさん otousan | father; dad; papa |
| 叔父 | おじ oji | uncle |
See also: Chinese symbol for “grandfather”.
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.