曽 means “great- (generation), formerly”

そう · sou

Also: once, before, ever

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): かつ, かつて, すなわち
On'yomi (Chinese reading): ソウ, ソ, ゾウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 11 strokes

The story

Picture steam (八) rising off a stacked steamer (田 over 日), one layer piled on another. 曽 adds a generation, so 曽祖父 is a great-grandfather, and 未曽有, never once before, is unprecedented, a word headlines reach for after a disaster.

Used in 曽祖父 (sousofu, great-grandfather), 曽祖母 (sousobo, great-grandmother), and 未曽有 (mizou, unprecedented)

曽 means “great- (generation), formerly”

The story

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