Meaning of 首相
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- prime minister (of Japan or UK etc)
How to use 首相
首相 is used for the prime minister of countries like Japan and the UK, often with the country name in front. Example: 日本首相访问了中国。(Rìběn shǒuxiàng fǎngwèn le Zhōngguó.) The Japanese prime minister visited China.
首 (shǒu) means head or first, and 相 (xiàng) is an old word for a chief minister. The head minister of the government is the 首相.
Common mistake: Learners often read 相 here as xiāng, the tone used in 相信 (xiāngxìn) and 相同 (xiāngtóng). In 首相 it is fourth tone, xiàng, the same as in 照相 (zhàoxiàng).
首相 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
首 shǒu · head · 9 strokes
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- 2
- 3
- 4
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- 9
相 xiāng · mutual · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
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Related words
Words that share a character with 首相.
| 相信 | xiāngxìn | to believe; to be convinced; to accept as true |
| 相同 | xiāngtóng | identical; same |
| 相机 | xiàngjī | camera (abbr. for 照相機|照相机[zhao4 xiang4 ji1]); at the opportune moment |
| 照相 | zhàoxiàng | to take a photograph |
| 首先 | shǒuxiān | first of all; in the first place |
| 相当 | xiāngdāng | equivalent to; appropriate |
| 互相 | hùxiāng | each other; mutually |
| 相关 | xiāngguān | related; relevant |
| 相互 | xiānghù | each other; mutual |
| 相似 | xiāngsì | similar; alike |
| 相比 | xiāngbǐ | to compare |
| 首都 | shǒudū | capital (city) |
Questions about 首相
What does 首相 mean?
首相 (shǒuxiàng) means "prime minister (of Japan or UK etc)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 首相?
首相 is made of 2 characters: 首 (9 strokes), 相 (9 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 首相 an HSK word?
Yes. 首相 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 首相 and 总理?
Both can be translated as prime minister. 首相 is usually used for Japan and the UK, while 总理 (zǒnglǐ) is used for China's premier and for countries like India, Canada, and Australia. Chinese media follow fixed conventions for each country.
Is 首相 the same as a president?
No. A president is 总统 (zǒngtǒng), as in 美国总统 (Měiguó zǒngtǒng), the US president. 首相 is the head of government in a parliamentary system.