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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "grandfather" in Japanese?
祖父
sofu
In Japanese, "grandfather" is 祖父 (sofu).
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Pronunciation
SOH-foo, two syllables, both short and even, formal in tone.
Writing and usage
祖父 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
祖父は素晴らしい話をしてくれます。
sofu ha subarashii hanashi woshitekuremasu.
My grandfather tells wonderful stories.
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How to remember 祖父
Sofu is short and formal sounding, fitting for the polite, formal word used for one's own grandfather.
Related words
- grandmother 祖母 sobo
- uncle おじさん ojisan
- aunt おばさん obasan
- nephew 甥 oi
- niece 姪 mei
- cousin いとこ itoko
- stepfather 継父 mamachichi
- stepmother 継母 mamahaha
- godfather 名付け親 nazuke oya
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 祖父
How do you pronounce 祖父?
SOH-foo, two syllables, both short and even, formal in tone.
Is 祖父 formal or casual?
祖父 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 祖父 written in Japanese?
祖父 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as sofu.
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.
"Grandfather" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
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