Refers to one's ancestral family name or lineage, often in historical or formal contexts. Can also imply noble birth or pedigree.
He comes from a family of distinguished lineage.
Historical term for a kinship group or clan in ancient Japan, often used in discussions of the uji-kabane system. Also used as a suffix in clan names (e.g., 藤原氏).
See also: 氏 (し)
He decided to take his mother's clan name.
Learn about the ancient clan system.
This clan had lived in this region since ancient times.
The clan-and-title system was the foundation of the Yamato polity.
For his achievements, he was granted a new clan name by the emperor.
名字 is the everyday term for one's modern family name, whereas 氏 refers to an ancestral clan name used in historical or formal contexts.
家柄 describes a family's social standing or pedigree, while 氏 specifically denotes the formal clan or lineage name itself.
血筋 emphasizes hereditary bloodline and descent, while 氏 refers to the formal name of the clan one belongs to.
氏 read うじ means an ancestral clan or family name, but the same kanji read し is an honorific suffix meaning 'Mr./Ms.' attached to a person's surname.
Standard kanji spelling for the historical clan/family name sense.
Kana spelling is common in explanatory or historical contexts, and avoids confusion with the suffix 氏 (し).
The kanji 氏 originally depicted a person carrying an offering, later extended to mean 'clan' or 'family name'. The reading うじ is native Japanese, referring to ancient kinship groups.