How to Say "Grandparents" in Japanese

祖父母

sofubo[so̞ɸɯ̟bo̞]

The English phrase 'grandparents' is translated into Japanese as 祖父母 (sofubo).

祖父母 is used to refer to the parents of a person's father or mother.

What does it mean word for word?

The word is composed of 祖, meaning ancestor or forefather and 父母, meaning parents.

祖父母 is a formal or written term used when referring to grandparents in a general or objective sense.

sofubo

In Japan, the roles of おじいちゃん and おばあちゃん are often used for any elderly person in the community, even if they are not biological grandparents.
The kanji 祖 in 祖父母 is also used in the word 祖国 to mean 'homeland' or 'motherland', linking the idea of ancestors to the land of origin.
Japanese culture has a traditional concept called 三世代同居 which refers to three generations, including the 祖父母, living under one roof.

祖父母はみんなまだ生きている。
All of my grandparents are still living.
The sentence is useful for stating that all of the 祖父母 are still living.
Tatoeba #7530222 by Ninja, translation #7528085 by CK
祖父母のことが大好きなんです。
I love my grandparents.
The sentence is useful for expressing that one loves their 祖父母.
Tatoeba #11467604 by small_snow, translation #11229805 by ddnktr
トムは祖父母のもとで育てられた。
Tom was raised by his grandparents.
The sentence is useful for describing how someone was raised by their 祖父母.
Tatoeba #12511056 by bunbuku, translation #2744247 by CK
7 more sentences on Tatoeba

Yota and Misaki are talking about their family plans for the holiday.

陽太 Yota

今度の休みは祖父母に会いに行くよ。
Kondo no yasumi wa sofubo ni ai ni iku yo.
I'm going to visit my grandparents this coming holiday.
美咲 Misaki

いいですね。どこに住んでいるんですか。
Ii desu ne. Doko ni sunde iru n desu ka.
That's nice. Where do they live?
陽太 Yota

祖父母は北海道に住んでいます。
Sofubo wa Hokkaido ni sunde imasu.
My grandparents live in Hokkaido.
美咲 Misaki

北海道はいいところですよね。
Hokkaido wa ii tokoro desu yo ne.
Hokkaido is a great place, isn't it?

Sources

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