相続

Japanese

Kanji in this term
相	続
そう Grade: 3	ぞく Grade: 4
goon

Alternative spelling
相續 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Ultimately from Middle Chinese 相續 (literally “successively, one after another + to succeed, to continue”). First attested in Japanese in 820.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) そーぞく [sòózókú] (Heiban – [0])
• (Tokyo) そ​ーぞく [sóꜜòzòkù] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [so̞ːzo̞kɯ̟ᵝ]

Noun

相(そう)続(ぞく) • (sōzoku) ^{←さうぞく (sauzoku)?}

1. [from 1283] succession or inheritance of a position, for example as head of a household or organization, or in a specific role
2. [from 1886] (law) succession or inheritance of the assets and liabilities of a deceased person (the act of inheriting, rather than the thing inherited)
3. [from 820] (archaic, possibly obsolete) the act of carrying on with an action, or of continuing to do something without cease

Derived terms

• 相続税(そうぞくぜい) (sōzokuzei): an inheritance tax, a death duty
• 相続権(そうぞくけん) (sōzokuken): right of inheritance, right of succession, heirship
• 相続人(そうぞくにん) (sōzokunin): a successor, an heir

Verb

相(そう)続(ぞく)する • (sōzoku suru) ^{←さうぞく (sauzoku)?} suru (stem 相(そう)続(ぞく)し (sōzoku shi), past 相(そう)続(ぞく)した (sōzoku shita))

1. [from 1283] to succeed to or inherit a position, for example as head of a household or organization, or in a specific role
2. [from 1886] (law) to inherit the assets and liabilities of a deceased person

Conjugation

Conjugation of "相続する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	相続し	そうぞくし	sōzoku shi
Continuative (連用形)	相続し	そうぞくし	sōzoku shi
Terminal (終止形)	相続する	そうぞくする	sōzoku suru
Attributive (連体形)	相続する	そうぞくする	sōzoku suru
Hypothetical (仮定形)	相続すれ	そうぞくすれ	sōzoku sure
Imperative (命令形)	相続せよ¹ 相続しろ²	そうぞくせよ¹ そうぞくしろ²	sōzoku seyo¹ sōzoku shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	相続される	そうぞくされる	sōzoku sareru
Causative	相続させる 相続さす	そうぞくさせる そうぞくさす	sōzoku saseru sōzoku sasu
Potential	相続できる	そうぞくできる	sōzoku dekiru
Volitional	相続しよう	そうぞくしよう	sōzoku shiyō
Negative	相続しない	そうぞくしない	sōzoku shinai
Negative continuative	相続せず	そうぞくせず	sōzoku sezu
Formal	相続します	そうぞくします	sōzoku shimasu
Perfective	相続した	そうぞくした	sōzoku shita
Conjunctive	相続して	そうぞくして	sōzoku shite
Hypothetical conditional	相続すれば	そうぞくすれば	sōzoku sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative