Japanese symbol for “chief”
主要
しゅよう
Romaji: shuyou
chief; main; principal; major
In Japanese, chief is 主要, read しゅよう (shuyou).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-na, n chief; main; principal; major
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “chief”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 主 | おも omo | chief; main; principal |
| 長 | ちょう chou | head; chief; leader |
| 主任 | しゅにん shunin | person in charge; senior staff; manager |
| 長官 | ちょうかん choukan | secretary (government); director; chief |
| 署長 | しょちょう shochou | chief (of police); head (of office) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 主義 | しゅぎ shugi | doctrine; rule; principle |
| 主張 | しゅちょう shuchou | claim; insistence; assertion |
| 民主 | みんしゅ minshu | democracy; popular sovereignty |
| 主催 | しゅさい shusai | sponsorship (i.e. conducting under one's auspices); promotion; organizing |
| 主人 | しゅじん shujin | head (of a household); proprietor (of a store); proprietress |
| 必要 | ひつよう hitsuyou | necessary; needed; essential |
| 重要 | じゅうよう juuyou | important; essential; significant |
| 要求 | ようきゅう youkyuu | demand; firm request; requisition |
See also: Chinese symbol for “chief”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.