主 (zhǔ): owner, master, host
主 (zhǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “owner.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 丶 (structural) and 王 (structural). It ranks #87 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically pictographic, 主 a lamp 王 with a flame 丶. Its radical form 丶 (dot) appears in many related characters such as 为 (wéi, as (in the capacity of)), 举 (jǔ, to lift), 义 (yì, (Tw) Italy (abbr. for 義大利|义大利)).
Definitions
- owner
- master
- host
Etymology & Origin
pictographicA lamp 王 with a flame 丶
Decomposition: ⿱丶王 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 主 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 主
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 主意noun | zhǔ yi | plan | 4 |
| 主人noun | zhǔ rén | owner | 5 |
| 主要adjective | zhǔ yào | main | 3 |
| 公主noun | gōng zhǔ | princess | 6 |
| 主题noun | zhǔ tí | theme | 5 |
| 主任noun | zhǔ rèn | director | 5 |
| 主角noun | zhǔ jué | leading role | 6 |
| 主管verb/noun | zhǔ guǎn | in charge | 6 |
| 主席noun | zhǔ xí | chairperson | 5 |
| 主动adjective | zhǔ dòng | to take the initiative | 5 |
| 主持verb | zhǔ chí | to take charge of | 5 |
| 民主noun/adjective | mín zhǔ | democracy | 6 |
| 主张verb/noun | zhǔ zhāng | to advocate | 6 |
| 主导verb/noun | zhǔ dǎo | leading | 6 |
| 车主noun | chē zhǔ | vehicle owner | 5 |
| 主观adjective | zhǔ guān | subjective | 5 |
| 主流noun | zhǔ liú | main stream (of a river) | 6 |
| 主办verb | zhǔ bàn | to organize | 6 |
| 主演verb/noun | zhǔ yǎn | to play the leading role | 6 |
| 主播verb/noun | zhǔ bō | (news) anchor | 6 |
| 主食noun | zhǔ shí | staple food | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 主义noun | zhǔ yì | -ism |
| 主持人noun | zhǔ chí rén | host |
| 主教 | zhǔ jiào | bishop |
| 主妇noun | zhǔ fù | housewife |
| 救世主noun | jiù shì zhǔ | the Savior (in Christianity) |
| 天主教 | tiān zhǔ jiào | Catholicism |
| 民主党noun | mín zhǔ dǎng | Democratic Party |
| 主宰verb | zhǔ zǎi | to dominate |
| 雇主noun | gù zhǔ | variant of 雇主 |
| 种族主义 | zhǒng zú zhǔ yì | racism |
| 领主noun | lǐng zhǔ | feudal lord |
| 天主教徒noun | tiān zhǔ jiào tú | Catholic |
| 主编noun | zhǔ biān | editor in chief |
| 得主noun | dé zhǔ | recipient (of an award) |
| 店主noun | diàn zhǔ | shop owner |
主 appears in 130 compound words: 52 as the first character, 34 as the last, and 15 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 主 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (50)
lit. the guest acts as host (idiom); fig. to turn from passive to active behavior
Showing 12 of 50 idioms containing 主.
Example Sentences
主要原因是时间不够，我们需要延长项目周期。
Zhǔyào yuányīn shì shíjiān bù gòu, wǒmen xūyào yáncháng xiàngmù zhōuqī.
The main reason is insufficient time; we need to extend the project cycle.
三星重登全球DRAM霸主
sān xīng chóng dēng quán qiú D R A M bà zhǔ
Samsung is back at the global DRAM hegemony
当年轻人成为过年“主理人”,让团圆找到新载体
dāng nián qīng rén chéng wéi guò nián zhǔ lǐ rén , ràng tuán yuán zhǎo dào xīn zài tǐ
When young people become the "managers" of the New Year, let the reunion find a new carrier
“主动了解彼此的文化、价值观和生活方式”——...
zhǔ dòng le xiè bǐ cǐ de wén huā jiè zhí guàn hé shēng huó fāng shì . . .
"Take the initiative to learn about each other's cultures, values and lifestyles" -...
俄罗斯莫斯科地铁举行中国春节主题列车发车仪式
é luó sī mò sī kē dì tiě jǔ háng zhōng guó chūn jié zhǔ tí liè chē fā chē yí shì
Moscow Metro Holds Launch Ceremony for Chinese New Year-Themed Train
洛杉矶奥组委主席涉爱泼斯坦案,市长呼吁其辞职
洛 杉 矶 ào zǔ wěi zhǔ xí shè ài pō sī tǎn àn , shì cháng hū xū qí cí zhí
Los Angeles Olympic Bid Committee Chairman Linked to Epstein Case; Mayor Calls for His Resignation
你觉得他会对什么主题感兴趣？
Nǐ juéde tā huì duì shénme zhǔtí gǎn xìngqù?
What subject do you think he is interested in?
谁是这间房子的主人？
Shéi shì zhè jiān fángzi de zhǔrén?
Who is the owner of this house?
有没有一个国家比美国更提倡爱国主义？
Yǒuméiyǒu yī gè guójiā bǐ Měiguó gèng tíchàng àiguózhǔyì?
Does any other country fan the flames of patriotism as much as America?
你大学时主修什么？
Nǐ dàxué shí zhǔxiū shénme?
What did you major in at college?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 主 (zhǔ) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 主 have?
What is the radical of 主?
What are the components of 主?
What are common words containing 主?
What characters sound the same as 主 (zhǔ)?
Is 主 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 主 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.