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子息 (shisoku) Japanese meaning: (someone else's) son | Kotomora

子し息そく

し

そ

く

Common word›JLPTN1›Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

(someone else's) son

Polite, somewhat formal term used to refer to another person's son. Often appears as ご子息. Not used for one's own son.

ご子し息そくは今年ことし大だい学がくを卒そつ業ぎょうされたそうですね

。

I hear your son graduated from university this year.

社しゃ長ちょうのご子し息そくが後あとを継つぐことになった。

The company president's son is to succeed him.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉のご子し息そくsomeone's son (polite)
田た中なか様さまのご子し息そくは医い者しゃだそうです。
I heard that Mr. Tanaka's son is a doctor.
ご子し息そくにお会あいするto meet someone's son (polite)
先せん日じつ、部ぶ長ちょうのご子し息そくにお会あいしました。
The other day, I had the pleasure of meeting the department head's son.

Kanji

子child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM
息breath, respiration, son

Related words

息子むすこN4
息子 is the standard, neutral word for 'son' and can refer to one's own son or another's, while 子息 is more formal and used exclusively for someone else's son.
お子こさんN4
お子さん is a general polite term for 'child' (son or daughter), whereas 子息 specifically means 'son' and carries a slightly more formal, often written tone.

Politeness

令れい息そくhonorific 尊敬語
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.
せがれplainN1
子息 (often with ご-) is the respectful term used for someone else's son, while せがれ is the humble term one uses for one's own son.
子し女じょplain
子息 is an honorific term used specifically for someone else's son, while 子女 is a neutral word covering one's own or general children of either sex.

Don't confuse with

子し孫そんN2
子息 (しそく) means 'someone's son', while the similarly-pronounced 子孫 (しそん) means 'descendants'; learners often mix up the readings.

Counted with

名めいN2
Polite/formal usage for counting people; for one specific person like 'son', this is not the everyday choice and often sounds more like counting attendees.

Etymology

Composed of 子 (child) and 息 (breath, son). The combination has been used historically to refer to a son, with the polite usage developing over time.