天てん下か人びと

also: てんかにん

て

ん

か

び

と

Meanings

noun

ruler of the whole country; person who holds the reins of government

Historical term for a supreme ruler, especially in the context of the Sengoku period. Often used to describe figures like Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, or Tokugawa Ieyasu.

織お田だ信のぶ長ながは天てん下か人びとを目め指ざした。
Oda Nobunaga aimed to become the ruler of the whole country.
豊とよ臣とみ秀ひで吉よしは天てん下か人びととして全ぜん国こくを統とう一いつした。
Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified the whole country as its supreme ruler.

Kanji

天heavens, sky, imperial
下below, down, descend
人person

Related words

覇は者しゃ
覇者 refers to a supreme champion or conqueror, often in a broader sense including sports or business, while 天下人 specifically denotes a historical ruler of Japan.
将しょう軍ぐん
将軍 is a military title (shogun) and a formal position, whereas 天下人 emphasizes the de facto control over the entire country, not necessarily the official title.

Built from

天てん下か+人ひと

Written forms

天下人
- てんかびと
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading てんかびと is the most common.
- てんかにん
  Alternate reading; less common than てんかびと.
てんかにん

Etymology

Compound of 天下 (tenka, 'the whole country, the realm') and 人 (hito, 'person'), with rendaku voicing to びと. The reading てんかにん is a less common on'yomi-based variant.