Refers to the child entitled to inherit a family headship, title, or estate, especially under traditional or historical succession rules.
He was raised strictly as the heir of a distinguished family.
Specifically a child born in wedlock, as opposed to a child born out of wedlock (非嫡出子). Often used in legal or genealogical contexts.
Under the law at that time, there was a difference in inheritance rights between legitimate and illegitimate children.
Father designated his younger brother as the heir.
The eldest son inherited the family headship as the legitimate heir.
He was born as the legitimate child of the legal wife.
跡継ぎ is the everyday word for a successor to a family, business, or position, while 嫡子 is a more formal/legal term stressing legitimate birth.
嫡出 describes the legal status of being born in wedlock, while 嫡子 refers to the legitimate child or heir themselves.
counter for people
From Middle Chinese-derived elements 嫡 (legitimate wife/child) and 子 (child). The term entered Japanese through kanbun and legal texts, retaining its specific meaning of a legitimate child and heir.