元首

Chinese

 
primary; first; fundamental; dollar; (dynasty)
 
head; chief; first (occasion); first (thing); measure word for poems
simp. and trad.
(元首)

Pronunciation


Noun

元首

  1. head of state
  2. monarch
  3. beginning

Synonyms


Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
げん
Grade: 2
しゅ
Grade: 2
on’yomi

From Middle Chinese compound 元首 (ngjwon syuwX, literally first, prime + head).

Pronunciation

Noun

元首 (hiragana げんしゅ, rōmaji genshu)

  1. head of state (the chief public representative of a nation), ruler, sovereign
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
もと
Grade: 2
くび
Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Compound of (moto, origin, base) + (kubi, neck, head).[2]

Pronunciation

Noun

元首 (hiragana もとくび, rōmaji motokubi)

  1. (rare) the base of the neck
  2. (rare) (by extension upwards) the head
Usage notes

The kun'yomi reading of motokubi is rare for this term.[1]

References

  1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. 1988, 国語大辞典(新装版) (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
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