Japanese word

総理大臣

Pronunciation

Romajisōridaijin

Meaning

  • nounprime minister

Example

総理大臣は新しい政策について説明します。sō ri dai jin wa atara shi i sei saku ni tsu i te setsu mei shi ma su

The prime minister explains the new policy.

Illustration for 総理大臣 (prime minister)

More examples

国会で総理大臣が外交方針を示しました。kok kai de sō ri dai jin ga gai kō hō shin o shime shi ma shi ta

The prime minister outlined the foreign policy in the Diet.

Core concept

Describes the head of a national government who leads the cabinet and directs the country's administration.

Common phrases

  • 総理大臣に就任するsō ri dai jin ni shū nin su ru

    take office as prime minister

  • 総理大臣を辞任するsō ri dai jin o ji nin su ru

    resign as prime minister

Similar words

首相shushō: The leader of a country's government who heads its cabinet.
総理sōri: A common shortened title for the head of the national government.
内閣総理大臣naikakusōridaijin: The formal Japanese title for the head of the national government.

Definition in Japanese

内閣の首長として国の行政を統括する政府の長。nai kaku no shu chō to shi te kuni no gyō sei o tō katsu su ru sei fu no chō

Word origin

総理大臣 (sōri daijin) combines 総 (sō, "whole") and 理 (ri, "manage") to form 総理 (sōri, "overall management"), with 大 (dai, "great") and 臣 (jin, "minister") forming 大臣 (daijin, "minister").

Usage tips

  • In Japanese political speech, 総理 (sōri) is a common shorter form of 総理大臣 (sōri daijin), while 内閣総理大臣 (Naikaku sōri daijin) is the formal title of the office.

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