曽祖母

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 曽祖母 (そうそぼ) is a kinship compound noun for one’s female great-grandparent.
• Basic usage: 曽祖母が残した写真 makes the great-grandmother the person who left the photographs, while 曽祖母から昔話を聞く makes her the source of stories heard in childhood.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Agent and source of a story
  • 曽祖母が marks the agent who left something, whereas 曽祖母から marks the source of what was heard. The latter から does not express physical separation from the great-grandmother.