noun
The standard modern word for a person's family name. Often used in contrast with 名 (given name).
姓と名を記入してください。
Please fill in your surname and given name.
彼の姓は田中です。
His family name is Tanaka.
noun
hereditary title (ancient Japan)
Only with reading せい
Historical term for a hereditary title denoting rank and political standing in ancient Japan. Read as せい in this sense; the older reading かばね is a separate entry.
See also: 姓 (かばね)
古代の姓の制度は、朝廷の身分秩序を支えていた。
The ancient hereditary title system supported the status hierarchy of the imperial court.
名字 is a common synonym for surname, often used in everyday speech. 姓 is slightly more formal and is the standard term in official contexts.
氏 is a more formal or written term for family name, often used in honorific contexts (e.g., 田中氏). 姓 is the neutral, everyday word.
When read かばね, this is a separate entry referring specifically to the ancient hereditary title system. The reading せい is used for the modern surname sense and the historical sense covered here.
The kanji 姓 combines 女 (woman) and 生 (birth/life), originally referring to a clan or family name. The reading せい is the Sino-Japanese on'yomi. The obsolete readings しょう and そう are historical variants.