neck, counter for songs and poems
On'yomi (音読み)
- シュ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- くび
About this kanji
The kanji 「首」 primarily means "neck," but it has several other interesting uses as well. It can function both as a noun and be part of compound terms. For instance, 一首 (いっしゅ) means "one tanka," referring to a traditional Japanese poem. 元首 (げんしゅ) translates to "sovereign," while 首相 (しゅしょう) means "prime minister"—a key political position in Japan. Additionally, 首都 (しゅと) refers to the "national capital" city. A useful note about this kanji is that when it appears in compound words, it often relates to leadership or the head of a group.
Example sentences
首都には多くの文化があります。
The capital has a lot of culture.
Meanings across languages
- English
- neck, counter for songs and poems
- Tiếng Việt
- cổ, số lượng bài hát và thơ
- 日本語
- 首, 首, 歌
- 한국어
- 목, 노래
- 中文
- 头, 曲目
- id
- leher
- th
- คอ
- es
- cuello
- fr
- cou
- de
- Hals
- pt
- pescoço
Common compounds
- 一首いっしゅone tanka, one poem
- 元首げんしゅsovereign, ruler, head of state
- 首相しゅしょうprime minister, chancellor (Germany, Austria, etc.), premier
- 首長しゅちょうhead (of organization, organisation), chief, sheikh
- 首都しゅと(national) capital (city), metropolis
- 首脳しゅのうhead, leader, top
- 党首とうしゅparty leader
- 首位しゅいfirst place, head position, leading position
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.