祖

祖	U+7956, 祖 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-7956

祖	U+FA50, 祖 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-FA50

← 祐
[U+FA4F]

CJK Compatibility Ideographs

祝 →
[U+FA51]

祖	U+2F953, 祖 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-2F953

← 𥘦
[U+2F952]

CJK Compatibility Ideographs Supplement

𥚚 →
[U+2F954]

TranslingualEdit

Han characterEdit

祖 (Kangxi radical 113, 示+5, 9 strokes, cangjie input 戈火月一 (IFBM), four-corner 3721₀, composition ⿰礻且(GHTJV) or ⿰示且(K))

ReferencesEdit

KangXi: page 841, character 18
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 24664
Dae Jaweon: page 1260, character 1
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2391, character 4
Unihan data for U+7956

Unihan data for U+FA50

Unihan data for U+2F953

ChineseEdit

simp. and trad.		祖

Glyph originEdit

Historical forms of the character 祖
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (且) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
虘	zaːl, zaː
蔖	zlaːl, sʰaːʔ
摣	rnaː, ʔsraː
袓	ʔsjaː, zaʔ
怚	ʔsjaː, ʔsas, *zaʔ
罝	*ʔsjaː
謯	ʔslja, ʔsraːʔ
姐	*ʔsjaːʔ
抯	ʔsljaːʔ, ljaːʔ, *ʔsraː
飷	*ʔsjaːʔ
且	sʰjaːʔ, ʔsa
趄	sʰjaːs, sʰa
笡	*sʰjaːs
查	ʔsraː, zraː, *zraː
柤	*ʔsraː
樝	*ʔsraː
皻	*ʔsraː
渣	*ʔsraː
楂	*zraː
苴	zraː, ʔsa, ʔsaʔ, sʰa
駔	ʔslaːŋʔ, zaːʔ
租	*ʔsaː
蒩	ʔsaː, ʔsaːʔ, *sʰa
祖	*ʔsaːʔ
組	*ʔsaːʔ
珇	*ʔsaːʔ
靻	*ʔsaːʔ
粗	sʰaː, zaːʔ
徂	*zaː
殂	*zaː
麆	zaːʔ, zras
伹	zaːʔ, sʰa
蛆	ʔsa, sʰa
沮	ʔsa, ʔsas, sʰa, zaʔ, *ʔsra
咀	ʔsaʔ, zaʔ
疽	*sʰa
雎	*sʰa
狙	sʰa, sʰas
岨	*sʰa
砠	*sʰa
坥	sʰa, sʰas
刞	*sʰas
覰	*sʰas
覷	*sʰas
跙	*zaʔ
筯	*das
菹	*ʔsra
葅	*ʔsra
阻	ʔsraʔ, ʔsras
俎	*ʔsraʔ
詛	ʔsraʔ, ʔsras
鉏	zra, zraʔ
豠	*zra
鋤	*zra
耡	zra, zras
齟	*zraʔ
助	*zras

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *ʔsaːʔ): semantic 示 + phonetic 且 (OC *sʰjaːʔ, *ʔsa). Specialization of 且. See there for more.

PronunciationEdit

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): zǔ (zu³)

(Zhuyin): ㄗㄨˇ

(Chengdu, SP): zu³

(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): зў (zw, II)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): zou²

(Taishan, Wiktionary): du²
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): chú
Min Bei (KCR): cǔ
Min Dong (BUC): cū
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): chó͘

(Teochew, Peng'im): zou²
Wu (Wiktionary): ²tsu

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: zǔ
  - Zhuyin: ㄗㄨˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: zǔ
  - Wade–Giles: tsu³
  - Yale: dzǔ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzuu
  - Palladius: цзу (czu)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡su²¹⁴/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: zu³
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: zu
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡su⁵³/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: зў (zw, II)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡su⁵¹/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: zou²
  - Yale: jóu
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dzou²
  - Guangdong Romanization: zou²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sou̯³⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: du²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tu⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chú
  - Hakka Romanization System: zu`
  - Hagfa Pinyim: zu³
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡su³¹/
Min Bei
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: cǔ
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡su²¹/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: cū
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡su³³/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chó͘
  - Tâi-lô: tsóo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zor
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /t͡sɔ⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sɔ⁴¹/
  - IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /t͡sɔ⁵⁵⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: zou²
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsóu
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sou⁵²/
Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: ²tsu
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sv̩ʷ³⁴/

Middle Chinese: /t͡suo^X/

Rime
Character	祖
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	精 (13)
Final (韻)	模 (23)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	則古切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡suo^X/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡suo^X/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡so^X/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡sɔ^X/
Li Rong	/t͡so^X/
Wang Li	/t͡su^X/
Bernard Karlgren	/t͡suo^X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	zǔ
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zou²

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[ts]ˤaʔ/

(Zhengzhang): /*ʔsaːʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	祖
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	zǔ
Middle Chinese	‹ tsu^X ›
Old Chinese	/*[ts]ˁaʔ/
English	ancestor
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	祖
Reading #	1/1
No.	10398
Phonetic component	且
Rime group	魚
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	祖
Old Chinese	/*ʔsaːʔ/

DefinitionsEdit

祖

ancestor; forebear; forefather
grandparent; grandfather or grandmother
founder
(literary) to follow the example of; to pattern after
a surname. Zu
祖沖之／祖冲之 ― Zǔ Chōngzhī ― Zu Chongzhi (Chinese astronomer and mathematician during the Liu Song and Southern Qi dynasties)

CompoundsEdit

Derived terms from 祖

一祖三宗
乃祖
二祖
伯祖 (bózǔ)
伯祖母 (bózǔmǔ)
佛祖 (fózǔ)
元世祖
元太祖
先祖 (xiānzǔ)
先祖妣
先祖考
光宗耀祖 (guāngzōngyàozǔ)
公祖
六祖 (Liùzǔ)
列祖列宗 (lièzǔlièzōng)
初祖
叔祖 (shūzǔ)
叔祖母 (shūzǔmǔ)
唐高祖
外祖母 (wàizǔmǔ)
外祖父 (wàizǔfù)
天公祖
太祖 (Tàizǔ)
始祖 (shǐzǔ)
宋太祖
家祖
家祖母
彭祖
明太祖
普庵老祖
曾祖 (zēngzǔ)
曾祖母 (zēngzǔmǔ)
曾祖父 (zēngzǔfù)
汀祖 (Tīngzǔ)
清世祖
清太祖
烈祖
猛著祖鞭
皇祖
皇祖妣 (huángzǔbǐ)
皇祖考 (huángzǔkǎo)
祖上 (zǔshàng)
祖代 (zǔdài)
祖先 (zǔxiān)
祖墓 (zǔmù)

祖奠
祖妣
祖宗 (zǔzōng)
祖宗三代 (zǔzōng sān dài)
祖宴
祖本 (zǔběn)
祖武
祖母 (zǔmǔ)
祖法
祖父 (zǔfù)
祖生鞭
祖神
祖籍 (zǔjí)
祖考
祖述
祖送
祖道
祖鞭先著
祭祖 (jìzǔ)
老公祖
老祖先
老祖宗 (lǎozǔzong)
舅祖
落鼻祖
金太祖
高祖 (gāozǔ)
高祖母 (gāozǔmǔ)
鼻祖 (bízǔ)
克繩祖武／克绳祖武
六祖壇經／六祖坛经 (Liùzǔ Tánjīng)
呂祖／吕祖
呵佛罵祖／呵佛骂祖
始祖鳥／始祖鸟 (shǐzǔniǎo)
媽祖／妈祖 (Māzǔ)
媽祖婆／妈祖婆
媽祖生／妈祖生
媽祖誕辰／妈祖诞辰
封祖蔭孫／封祖荫孙
師祖／师祖
數典忘祖／数典忘祖 (shǔdiǎnwàngzǔ)
榮宗耀祖／荣宗耀祖
欺師滅祖／欺师灭祖
清水祖師／清水祖师
清聖祖／清圣祖
漢高祖／汉高祖 (Hàn Gāozǔ)

JapaneseEdit

Shinjitai	祖
Kyūjitai ^[1]	祖 `祖` or 祖+`︀`^?
	祖󠄁 祖+`󠄁`^? (Adobe-Japan1)
	祖󠄃 祖+`󠄃`^? (Hanyo-Denshi) (Moji_Joho)
The displayed kanji may be different from the image due to your environment. See here for details.

KanjiEdit

祖

(grade 5 “Kyōiku” kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 祖)

founder, ancestor

ReadingsEdit

Go-on: そ (so, Jōyō)
Kan-on: そ (so, Jōyō)
Kun: おや (oya, 祖); じじ (jiji, 祖); はじめ (hajime, 祖め)
Nanori: おや (oya); さき (saki); のり (nori); はじめ (hajime); ひろ (hiro); もと (moto)

CompoundsEdit

Compounds

開(かい)祖(そ) (kaiso)
祖忌(そき) (soki, “death anniversary of a sect founder, or the memorial service thereof”)
祖先(そせん) (sosen)

EtymologyEdit

Kanji in this term
祖
そ Grade: 5
on’yomi

Alternative spelling
祖 (kyūjitai)

From Middle Chinese 祖 (tsu^X, “ancestor”).

PronunciationEdit

On’yomi

(Tokyo) そ [sóꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])^[2]^[3]
IPA^(key): [so̞]

NounEdit

祖(そ) • (so)

ancestor

ReferencesEdit

^ “祖”, in 漢字ぺディア (Kanjipedia)‎^[1] (in Japanese), 日本漢字能力検定協会, 2015—2023
^ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN