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元首 (げんしゅ, genshu) Japanese meaning: head of state | Kotomora
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The president is that country's head of state and also the head of government.
The head of state of the United Kingdom is the king.
There is constitutional debate over who Japan's head of state is.
Kanji 元 beginning, former time, origin 首 neck, counter for songs and poems Related words 君主 refers specifically to a hereditary monarch, while 元首 is the broader constitutional term for a head of state that can also be a president.
大統領 means specifically a president, whereas 元首 is the general title for whoever formally holds the top state office, be it a president or monarch.
首相 is the head of government who runs day-to-day politics, while 元首 is the formal head of state, and the two roles are not always held by the same person.
元首 is a neutral, general term for 'head of state', while 総統 specifically implies absolute military-political authority.
Don't confuse with 元首 refers to the head of state (e.g. an emperor or president), while 首班 refers specifically to the head of the cabinet/government, so the two are not interchangeable.
元首 means the head of state, sharing the kanji 元 with 元老 but referring to a completely different role than an elder statesman or veteran authority.
Etymology A Sino-Japanese compound written with 元, here suggesting the principal or primary position, and 首, meaning head or chief; together it denotes the chief person at the head of a state.
