head gangster; boss of a criminal gang
Refers to the leader or top figure of a criminal organization. Often used in yakuza or underworld contexts.
The police arrested the head gangster of that organization.
He is known as the local crime boss.
Compound of 元 (げん, 'origin, head') and 悪 (あく, 'evil, bad'), literally 'head of evil'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is conventionally associated with underworld leadership.