主しゅ席せき

しゅ

せ

き

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

General term for the top person in an organization, committee, or government. 主席 is the standard kanji for this meaning, especially for political leaders (e.g., Chinese President).

彼かれは党とうの主しゅ席せきに選えらばれた。
He was elected chairman of the party.

中ちゅう国ごくの国こっ家か主しゅ席せきが来らい日にちした。

The President of China visited Japan.

2

noun

top seat; first desk (in orchestra)

Refers to the principal seat in an orchestra section (e.g., first violin) or the highest-ranking position in a seating order. Can be used with either kanji form, but 主席 is more common for this sense.

彼かの女じょはオーケストラの主しゅ席せきバイオリニストだ。
She is the first violinist (concertmaster) of the orchestra.

3

noun

top student; head of the class

Only when written 首席

Specifically refers to the highest-ranking student in a class or school. Written as 首席.

彼かれは首しゅ席せきで大だい学がくを卒そつ業ぎょうした。
He graduated at the top of his class from university.

Written forms

主しゅ席せきUsage69%
Standard kanji form for the general meaning 'head/chief' and specifically for 'chairman/president'.
首しゅ席せきUsage31%
Used specifically for 'top student' or 'head of the class'.

Kanji

主lord, chief, master
席seat, mat, occasion
首neck, counter for songs and poems

Similar words

議ぎ長ちょう
議長 is specifically the chairperson of a meeting or assembly, while 主席 is a broader term for a head or chief, often used for political leaders.
大だい統とう領りょう
大統領 is used for the president of a republic (e.g., US President), while 主席 is used for the president of China or other socialist states, or more generally for a chairman.

Etymology

Sino-Japanese compound of 主 (shu, 'master/main') and 席 (seki, 'seat'). The spelling 首席 uses 席 (seat) in the sense of 'rank/position', while 主席 uses 席 more literally as 'seat'.