祖先 (そせん, sosen) Japanese meaning: ancestor | KotomoraMy ancestors migrated from Kyushu.
This festival is held to honor the ancestors.
Usage patterns
祖先を祀るto worship/venerate one's ancestors
This household has a Buddhist altar for venerating their ancestors.
祖先をたどるto trace one's ancestry
He made a family tree to trace his ancestry.
祖先から受け継ぐto inherit (something) from one's ancestors
This land is something inherited from our ancestors.
共通の祖先を持つto share a common ancestor
It is said that humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor.
plesiomorphy; ancestral character
