祖

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ancestor; forefather; grandparents

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

礻 meaning “spirit” + 且 sound ( qiě )

Components 礻且

ancestor · Heisig RSH #1346

altar + shelves

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
祖国和平统一委员会	Zǔ guó Hé píng Tǒng yī Wěi yuán huì	Committee for Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (North Korean)
安祖花	ān zǔ huā	flamingo lily (Anthurium andraeanum)
开山祖师	kāi shān zǔ shī	founding master of a monastery; founder; originator
明成祖	Míng Chéng zǔ	Ming Chengzu, temple name of third Ming Emperor Yongle 永樂\|永乐[Yong3 le4]
巴祖卡	bā zǔ kǎ	bazooka (loanword)
保卫祖国	bǎo wèi zǔ guó	to defend one's country
二世祖	èr shì zǔ	profligate child of a wealthy family
明太祖	Míng Tài zǔ	Ming Taizu, temple name of first Ming emperor Hongwu 洪武[Hong2 wu3]
高祖母	gāo zǔ mǔ	great-great-grandmother
马祖列岛	Mǎ zǔ Liè dǎo	Matsu Islands
清太祖	Qīng Tài zǔ	posthumous title of Nurhaci 努爾哈赤\|努尔哈赤[Nu3 er3 ha1 chi4] (1559-1626), founder and first Kha…
外祖母	wài zǔ mǔ	mother's mother; maternal grandmother
汉高祖	Hàn Gāo zǔ	posthumous name of the first Han emperor Liu Bang 劉邦\|刘邦 (256 or 247-195 BC), reigned 202-1…
祖国	zǔ guó	motherland
开山鼻祖	kāi shān bí zǔ	founder
祖马	Zǔ mǎ	Zuma (name); Jacob Zuma (1942-), South African ANC politician, vice-president 1999-2005, p…
马祖	Mǎ zǔ	Matsu Islands off Fujian, administered by Taiwan
家祖	jiā zǔ	(polite) my paternal grandfather
祖上	zǔ shàng	ancestors; forebears
元世祖	Yuán Shì zǔ	lit. progenitor of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), title of Khubilai Khan (1215-1294), first…

Characters sharing the sound component 且 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
且 sound part	qiě	moreover, also (post-subject); about to, will soon (pre-verb)
组	zǔ	to form, to assemble; section, department
助	zhù	to help, to aid, to assist
粗	cū	rough, think; coarse, rude
阻	zǔ	to hinder, to impede; to obstruct, to oppose
姐	jiě	elder sister; miss, young lady
咀	zuǐ	to suck; to chew
疽	jū	ulcer, carbuncle, abscess
趄	qiè	weak, lame
蛆	qū	maggot
狙	jū	monkey, ape; to spy, to watch for; to lie in ambush
苴	jū	hemp; sack-cloth
诅	zǔ	to curse; to pledge, to swear
殂	cú	dead; to die
沮	jǔ	to stop, to prevent; dejected, defeated
龃	jǔ	irregular teeth; discord
徂	cú	to advance, to go; to; die
雎	jū	osprey, fish hawk; to hold back
驵	zǎng	excellent horse, noble steed