legitimate heir

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 嫡 is associated with a legitimate child or a main line of succession; its on-reading is ちゃく.
• Basic usage: 嫡子(ちゃくし) means a legitimate child, while 嫡流(ちゃくりゅう) means a direct or main lineage.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• An individual child and a continuing lineage
  • 嫡子 refers to a child in contexts of old household succession or a royal succession in a story. 嫡流 focuses on the continuing line, such as the main family lineage.
  • 流派の嫡流 means the direct lineage of a school. 嫡流 applies to a craft tradition inherited by an artisan as well as to family ancestry.