孫

Formed from 子 (child, son) + 系 (lineage, to tie, connect).

Together they depict continuing the family line through children, hence the sense of “grandchild” and, more broadly, “descendants.”

Semantic range:

- direct descendants (손자, 손녀);

- later generations (자손, 후손);

- figuratively: continuation, legacy.

손녀 (孫女) — granddaughter

손자 (孫子) — grandson

자손 (子孫) — descendants, posterity

증손 (曾孫) — great-grandchild

현손 (玄孫) — great-great-grandchild

후손 (後孫) — later generations, descendants

In older Korean usage, the native word 들매 was used for “손자/손녀.”

In Confucian culture, 孫 is central to the idea of filial continuity. The existence of grandchildren symbolized the unbroken transmission of the family line, which was vital for maintaining ancestral rites (제사, 祭祀). Thus, the concept of 孝 (filial piety) extended naturally to ensuring one left behind 孫 to continue the line.