How to say "minister" in Japanese

• 牧師ぼくしJLPT N1approx.Common
  no-adjectiveThe usual word for a Protestant clergyman — the pastor who leads a congregation and preaches. When 'minister' refers to church ministry in the Protestant tradition, this is the word you want.
  １９６４年ねんにキング牧師ぼくしはノーベル平和賞へいわしょうを受賞じゅしょうした。↗

  In 1964, Rev. King won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 司祭しさいCommon
  no-adjectiveReally means 'priest' in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, so it matches 'minister' only in the broad sense of an ordained clergyman; for a Protestant minister it is not the word you want.
  「神かみはわれらの救すくいである」と司祭しさいは言いった。↗

  "God is our salvation," said the priest.
• 相しょうCommon
  suffixCovers the political sense: a minister in charge of a government department. It is chiefly a building block of compounds and abbreviations for particular ministries, not a free-standing word.
• 公使こうしCommon
  nounThe diplomatic sense of 'minister': an envoy ranking below an ambassador, e.g. a legation minister or a deputy chief of mission. For church or cabinet ministers this is not the word you want.
  彼かれはメキシコ駐在ちゅうざい日本にっぽん公使こうしに任命にんめいされた。↗

  He was appointed Japanese minister to Mexico.
• 神父しんぷCommon
  nounSpecifically a Catholic priest, the 'reverend father' addressed as 'Father'; its gloss 'minister' is only the loose clergyman sense, so it is not the word for a Protestant minister.

Choose by field: 牧師 for a Protestant minister, 司祭 for a Catholic or Orthodox priest, 神父 for a Catholic priest ('Father'), 相 for a government minister, and 公使 for a diplomatic minister below ambassador.

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

• 牧師ぼくしpastor
• 司祭しさいpriest
• 相しょうminister (of a government department)
• 公使こうしenvoy
• 神父しんぷCatholic priest
• 大殿おとどminister (of government)
• 尚書しょうしょminister
• ミニスターminister
• 御所ごしょemperor
• 大殿おおとのminister (of government)
• 奉仕者ほうししゃminister (of religion)