This site will be taken down March 31st, 2026.

This was not an easy decision to make. For the last couple years, I have been struggling to find motivation for this site and to keep up with basic maintenance and security updates. With the rise of AI and more sophisticated tools, the usefulness of sites like this is questionable and traffic has nose-dived. I just don't have it in me to keep doing this. Thank you all for 10 years of support!

Zach

Reading

Kana:
Romaji: so
Kana
Romaji

Name Reading

Kana:
Romaji: i
Kana
Romaji

Meanings

ancestor, pioneer, founder

Stroke Diagram

123456789

Kanji Info

Stroke Count:  9
Radical Number:  113
Frequency:  1226
Grade:  5
Skip Pattern:  1-4-5
Korean Reading:  jo
Chinese Reading:  zu3
Unicode:  7956
JIS:  4144

Indexes

Halpern Index: 914
Nelson Index: 3243
New Nelson Index: 4083
Spahn Hadamitzky Index: 4e5.4
Four Corner Index: 3721.0
Guide to Remembering Index: 736
Gakken Index: 1325
Japanese Names Index: 850
Daikanwanjiten Index: 24664P
Daikanwanjiten Index and Page: 8.0437
Remembering the kanji Index: 1779
Kanji Flashcards Index: 772
Kodansha Compact Index: 1423
Read Writing Kanji Third Index: 758
Kanji in Context Index: 824
1999 Kanji Learners Index: 617
2013 Kanji Learners Index: 823
French Remembering the Kanji Index: 1795
Remembering the Kanji 6th Index: 1918
Essential Kanji Index: 540
Kodansha Kanji Index: 1145
Roo 2001 Kanji Index: 673
Read Writing the Kanji Index: 657
Tuttle Kanji Cards Index: 701

Words

(おや)
parent; parents; dealer (in cards, mahjong, etc.); founder; (pet) owner
祖父 (そふ、じじ、じい、おおじ、おじ、そぶ)
grandfather; old man; kyogen mask used for the role of an old man
先祖 (せんぞ)
ancestor
祖国 (そこく)
motherland; fatherland; native country
始祖 (しそ)
founder; originator; pioneer
()
ancestor; forefather; progenitor
祖母 (そぼ、ばば、おおば、おば、うば)
grandmother
祖先 (そせん)
ancestor
元祖 (がんそ)
originator; founder; pioneer; inventor
開祖 (かいそ)
(sect) founder; apostle; originator; inventor
Find More