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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "descendant" in Japanese?
子孫
shison
In Japanese, "descendant" is 子孫 (shison).
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Pronunciation
SHEE-sohn, a short two-syllable word where the 'shi' is almost whispered and the 'son' carries most of the weight.
Writing and usage
子孫 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
彼は有名な画家の子孫です。
kareha yuumei na gaka no shison desu.
He is a descendant of a famous painter.
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How to remember 子孫
Shison contains 'son' — a descendant is, quite literally, someone's son or daughter down the line.
Related words
- sibling 兄弟姉妹 kyoudaishimai
- relative 親戚 shinseki
- ancestor 先祖 senzo
- couple カップル kappuru
- partner パートナー paatonaa
- babysitter ベビーシッター bebiishittaa
- guardian 後見人 koukennin
- mentor メンター mentaa
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 子孫
How do you pronounce 子孫?
SHEE-sohn, a short two-syllable word where the 'shi' is almost whispered and the 'son' carries most of the weight.
Is 子孫 formal or casual?
子孫 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 子孫 written in Japanese?
子孫 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as shison.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Descendant" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
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