How to say "ambassador" in Japanese

Choosing the right word

大使たいしJLPT N3approx.Common
no-adjectiveCovers 'ambassador' in its primary sense: a country's official diplomatic representative posted to another country. Use this word for the title or post itself, as in news about a nation's ambassador.
大使たいしはワルシャワから召還しょうかんされた。↗
The ambassador was recalled from Warsaw.
使節しせつCommon
nounIts core sense is envoy, emissary or delegate — someone sent on a mission — so it matches 'ambassador' only in that dispatched sense; for the resident post or title, 大使 is the word you want.
政府せいふは外国がいこくへ使節しせつを派遣はけんした。↗
The government dispatched missions abroad.

Use 大使 for an ambassador as a country's official diplomatic representative abroad; 使節 means envoy, emissary or delegate — a person sent on a mission — and covers 'ambassador' only in that dispatched sense.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese equivalents

大使たいしambassador
使節しせつenvoy
アンバサダーambassador

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

Say it right, write it right