令れい息そく

れ

い

そ

く

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

son (honorific)

honorific or respectful (sonkeigo)

Honorific term used to refer to someone else's son, typically in formal or polite contexts. Not used for one's own son.

ご令れい息そくはどちらの大だい学がくに進しん学がくされたのですか。
Which university did your son go on to?

See all 3 example sentences ›

Kanji

令orders, laws, command
息breath, respiration, son

Related words

公こう子し
令息 is a polite way to refer to someone's son regardless of noble birth, whereas 公子 specifically means a young man of aristocratic lineage.

Opposites

令れい嬢じょう
令嬢 is the honorific term for someone's daughter, while 令息 is the matching honorific term for someone's son.

Politeness

子し息そくplainN1
令息 is an even more elevated, formal term for someone's son used in written correspondence, while 子息 is already polite but somewhat less ceremonious.

Word family

ご令れい息そく
(someone's) son

Etymology

Compound of 令 (rei, 'good; excellent; respectful prefix') and 息 (soku, 'son; breath; rest'). The kanji 令 is used as a respectful prefix in formal terms, while 息 here carries the meaning of 'child' or 'offspring'.