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道Nihongo Path
孫

孫·grandchild

On-yomi
ソン
Kun-yomi
まご

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

10 strokes, numbered in writing order. Data: KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
孫まごgrandchild
子孫しそんdescendants
孫娘まごむすめgranddaughter
初孫はつまごfirst grandchild

Example sentences

  1. 祖母は孫の写真を見せてくれた。

    そぼはまごのしゃしんをみせてくれた。

    My grandmother showed me a photo of her grandchild.

  2. 私たちは同じ祖先の子孫です。

    わたしたちはおなじそせんのしそんです。

    We are descendants of the same ancestor.

  3. 初孫が生まれて家族が喜んだ。

    はつまごがうまれてかぞくがよろこんだ。

    The family was delighted when the first grandchild was born.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 子孫 as *こまご
  • Expecting まご inside compounds — there 孫 usually becomes そん, as in 子孫

Memory aid

Picture it

A child (子) tied by a thread (系) to the family line — the next link down.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 孫 mean?