主
主 — Lord
lord, chief, master, main thing, principal
On’yomiシュ (shu)
On’yomiス (su)
On’yomiシュウ (shuu)
Kun’yomiぬし (nushi)
Kun’yomiおも (omo)
Kun’yomiあるじ (aruji)
Stroke order (5 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 主
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 喪主 | もしゅ moshu | chief mourner |
| 民主 | みんしゅ minshu | democracy; popular sovereignty; Democratic Party of Japan (1998-2016) |
| 主義 | しゅぎ shugi | doctrine; rule; principle |
| 主催 | しゅさい shusai | sponsorship (i.e. conducting under one's auspices); promotion; organizing |
| 主席 | しゅせき shuseki | head; chief; chairman |
| 主張 | しゅちょう shuchou | claim; insistence; assertion |
Study notes
主 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 5 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #95 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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