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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "grandmother" in Japanese?
祖母
sobo
In Japanese, "grandmother" is 祖母 (sobo).
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Pronunciation
SOH-boh, two syllables, matching the rhythm of sofu but ending in a rounder vowel.
Writing and usage
祖母 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
祖母がケーキを焼いてくれたんだ。
sobo ga keeki wo yai tekuretanda.
My grandmother baked a cake for us.
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How to remember 祖母
Sobo pairs with sofu the way grandmother pairs with grandfather, sharing the same so- beginning.
Related words
- grandfather 祖父 sofu
- 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 祖母
How do you pronounce 祖母?
SOH-boh, two syllables, matching the rhythm of sofu but ending in a rounder vowel.
Is 祖母 formal or casual?
祖母 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 祖母 written in Japanese?
祖母 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as sobo.
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.
"Grandmother" in other languages
Curated by Callan 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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