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大臣 (だいじん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
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She was appointed Minister of the Environment.
The minister explained the new policy at a press conference.
Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 が 大だい 臣じん に 任にん 命めい される to be appointed as a minister
He was appointed finance minister last month.
大だい 臣じん を 務つと める to serve as a minister
She served as foreign minister for five years.
大だい 臣じん を 辞じ 任にん する to resign as a minister
He resigned as minister after the scandal.
〈 人ひと 〉 が 大だい 臣じん になる for someone to become a minister
He says he wants to become a minister someday.
Related words· 7 首相 means the prime minister, the head of government, while 大臣 refers to any cabinet minister who may or may not be the top leader.
閣僚 is a more formal, collective term for cabinet members used in news reports, whereas 大臣 is the everyday word used in actual ministerial titles.
大臣 is the modern term for a cabinet minister, while 卿 is its historical counterpart used under the ritsuryō system.
大臣 is a cabinet minister who oversees policy at the ministerial level, while 長官 is the head of a subordinate agency or bureau, often reporting to a 大臣.
Show 3 more 大臣 is the standard, full word for 'minister' used in official titles like 外務大臣, while 相 is a suffix used to form abbreviated titles like 外相.
大臣 is the general everyday word for a government minister, while 国務大臣 is the formal constitutional title used for members of the Japanese Cabinet.
大臣 is the general word for any cabinet minister, while 労相 specifies the minister in charge of labor policy.
Don't confuse with· 5 大使 means ambassador, a diplomatic post representing a country abroad, while 大臣 is a cabinet minister running a government ministry at home.
家臣 means a feudal retainer or vassal serving a lord, sharing the kanji 臣 with 大臣 but referring to a historical role, not a modern cabinet post.
大臣 is a full cabinet minister, while 次官 is the deputy who serves just below the minister, so learners often mix up their rank.
Show 2 more Etymology A Sino-Japanese compound written with 大, meaning 'great' or 'major', and 臣, meaning 'minister' or 'retainer'; the spelling directly matches the official-government sense.
大神 read as だいじん is an archaic word for 'great god', while 大臣 (だいじん) means 'government minister' — the two are easily confused since they share this reading.
大臣 is a general term for a cabinet minister, while 宰相 specifically means the head of that cabinet, the prime minister.
downstage left pillar (Noh stage)
the cabinet minister in charge; competent minister
Show 4 more figurehead minister; titular minister
cabinet minister; minister in charge · Minister of State for Special Missions
parliamentary secretary
minister without portfolio