祖

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ancestor

On-Yomi: ソ

Koohii stories:

1) [Immacolata] 8-5-2006(184): The ancestor worship is so common in Daoist and buddhist countries that you can buy tiny altars to put on the shelves, one for each deceased family member.

2) [kodama] 5-11-2007(99): The urns of ancestors are kept on shelves next to the altar.

3) [Filip] 2-3-2008(32): At the partents of my wife's house (she is Japanese) they have a shelf with pictures of their ancestors. Its like a little shrine and they often pray to it.

4) [coverup] 16-2-2009(13): An altar on the shelf to remember your ancestors.

5) [peacemik] 24-2-2009(10): Ancestors are revered in Japan. Some homes have large family altars ( 仏壇 (ぶつだん)) with several shelves to accommodate the name plaques (and these days photographs) of all the ancestors. 祖母 (そぼ): grandmother 祖父 (そふ): grandfather 祖国 (そこく): motherland, fatherland, native country 先祖 (せんぞ): ancestor 祖先 (そせん): ancestor [also used in a broader sense, such as apes were the ancestors of humans].

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