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Kotomora

孫

grandchild, descendants

JLPTN2StatusJōyō · grade 4FrequencyTop 2,000Strokes10

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

Explore all words using 孫 →

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.