formerly, once, before, ever

About this kanji

The kanji 曽 (ソウ) conveys meanings such as 'formerly' or 'once,' and it is commonly used as a prefix in nouns rather than verbs. One of its notable compounds is 曽祖父 (そうそふ), which means 'great-grandfather.' Another example is 木曽馬 (きそうま), referring to a specific breed of Japanese horse known as the Kiso horse. This kanji also appears in place names like 木曽路 (きそじ), which denotes a historic route in Japan. A key point to remember is that 曽 emphasizes something from the past, making it useful for discussing history or ancestry.

Example sentences

• 彼は曽祖父の話を聞いた。

  He heard stories about his great-grandfather.

Meanings across languages

English

formerly, once, before, ever, never, ex-

Tiếng Việt

trước đây

日本語

かつて

한국어

이전에

中文

曾经

id

dulu, sebelumnya, pernah

th

เมื่อก่อน, ครั้งหนึ่ง, ก่อน

es

anteriormente, una vez, antes

fr

autrefois, jadis, avant

de

ehemals, einmal, vorher

pt

antigamente, uma vez, antes

Common compounds

• 曽祖父そうそふgreat-grandfather, great-granddad, great-grandad
• 白檜曽しらびそVeitch's silver fir (Abies veitchii)
• 木曽馬きそうまKiso horse (Japanese indigenous horse breed), kisouma
• 木曽路きそじKiso valley section of the Nakasendo
• 大白檜曽おおしらびそMaries' fir (Abies mariesii)
• 曽祖父母そうそふぼgreat-grandparents
• 曽我物語そがものがたりSoga Monogatari (war chronicle)
• 伊曽保物語いそほものがたりAesop's Fables (published initially by the Jesuits in 1593)