Japanese symbol for “grandmother”
祖母
そぼ
Romaji: sobo
grandmother
In Japanese, grandmother is 祖母, read そぼ (sobo).
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 grandmother
Written forms: 祖母. Readings: そぼ、ばば、おおば、おば.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “grandmother”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 婆さん | ばあさん baasan | grandmother |
| お祖母さん | おばあさん obaasan | grandmother |
| フチ | フチ fuchi | (Ainu) grandmother; (Ainu) old woman |
| ハルモニ | ハルモニ harumoni | grandmother; grandma |
| おばあ様 | おばあさま obaasama | grandmother |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 祖父 | そふ sofu | grandfather |
| 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 |
| 母親 | ははおや hahaoya | mother |
| お母さん | おかあさん okaasan | mother; mom; mum |
| 叔母 | おば oba | aunt |
See also: Chinese symbol for “grandmother”.
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.
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