Onyomi: シュ, シュウ, ス · Kunyomi: あるじ, おも, ぬし · Meanings: chief, lord, main thing, master, principal
Kanji for chief, lord, main thing, master, principal
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Find visually similar kanji, commonly confused characters, related meanings, and useful words connected to 主.
The kanji 主 combines a dot above (丶) with the character for “person” or “hand” (王 without the bottom line), symbolizing the main person or master of something. In ancient times, it represented a lord, master, or owner. 主 came to mean master, main, or lord, capturing authority, leadership, and central importance.
A person with a mark above — 主 means master, main, or lord.
Imagine someone marked as the main person in charge — that’s 主, the kanji for master or main.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 主人 | しゅじん | head (of a household), proprietor (of a store), proprietress, landlord, landlady | common Noun |
| 主 | あるじ | head (of a household), proprietor (of a store), proprietress, landlord, landlady, master (of a servant) | common Noun |
| 主 | ぬし | head (of a household, etc.), leader, master | common Noun |
| 主 | おも | chief, main, principal, important | common Na-adjective (keiyodoshi), Noun |
| 主 | しゅ | (one's) master, (one's) employer, (one's) lord | common Noun |
| 主 | す | honorific (or familiar) suffix used after a name | Suffix |
| 主 | にし | you | Pronoun |
| 主 | しゅう | (one's) master, (one's) employer, (one's) lord | Noun |
| 主食 | しゅしょく | staple food | common JLPT-N1 Noun |
| 主人公 | しゅじんこう | protagonist, main character, hero, heroine | common JLPT-N1 Noun |