孫
grandchild, descendants
Readings
On'yomi
- ソン
Kun'yomi
- まご
Nanori
- ひ
Meaning
孫 centers on the relationship of a child's child: a grandchild, and by extension one's descendants further down the family line.
Most common words using 孫
20 of 46- 孫まごN4
grandchild
- 子孫しそんN2
descendant; progeny; offspring
- 孫悟空そんごくう
Sun Wukong (character in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West); Monkey King
- 孫娘まごむすめ
granddaughter
- 孫子まごこ
children and grandchildren; posterity; descendants
- お孫さんおまごさん
grandchild
- ひ孫ひまご
great-grandchild
- 天孫てんそん
descendant of a god; heavenly grandson
- 玄孫げんそん
great-great-grandchild; fourth-generation descendant
- 初孫ういまご
first grandchild
- 孫の手まごのて
backscratcher
- 子々孫々ししそんそん
one's descendants; one's offspring; posterity
- 仍孫じょうそん
seventh-generation descendant; great-great-great-great-great-grandchild
- 令孫れいそん
your grandchild
- 児孫じそん
children and grandchildren; descendants
- 内孫ないそん
child of one's heir
- 外孫がいそん
grandchild from a daughter married into another family
- 天孫降臨てんそんこうりん
the descent to earth of the grandson of the sun goddess
- 姪孫てっそん
grandniece; grandnephew
- 嫡孫ちゃくそん
eldest son's descendants
Study
Etymology
孫 combines 子 (child) with 系 (lineage, connection), suggesting a child further down the family line. The exact historical development of 系 as a phonetic or semantic component is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
A child 子 connected by a family line 系: that child's child is your grandchild, a descendant.
Reading mnemonic
For ソン, imagine a grandchild proudly showing off a sonogram picture of their own future child: son -> ソン, and the family line continues.