上司|じょうしjoushi[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. noun(one's) superior; (one's) boss; the higher-ups
   上司じょうしに残業ざんぎょうさせられたんだよ。↗

   My boss made me work overtime.

• Synonym上役うわやくNeutralAlso means one's superior, but it is old-fashioned and little used today; 「上司」 is the everyday word.
• SynonymボスCasualColloquial loanword for a boss or head of a group, with a casual feel; also the boss of a video game level. Suits relaxed talk, not formal settings.
• Synonym親方おやかたNeutralA boss or foreman in traditional trades, or a sumo stable master, as in 「大工の親方」; leans toward craft and trade settings.
• RelatedリーダーNeutralLoanword for a leader, as in 「チームリーダー」; stresses the person leading a group, who is not necessarily your direct superior.
• Related棟梁とうりょうWrittenWritten/formal word: a master carpenter, or figuratively the central figure supporting a nation or group; 「上司」 is an ordinary workplace superior.
• RelatedフォアマンNeutralLoanword for a foreman or crew boss; leans toward factory and construction sites, unlike the general 「上司」.
• RelatedチーフNeutralLoanword for a chief, as in 「チーフシェフ」; leans toward the head of a professional team.
• Related主任しゅにんNeutralA person in charge, as in 「主任教師」; leans toward a specific job title rather than the general idea of a superior.
• Related主任者しゅにんしゃWrittenWritten/formal term for the person in charge of a job; rare in actual use — people usually say 「責任者」 or 「主任」.
• Related頭領とうりょうWrittenWritten/formal word for the chief of a group, as in 「盗賊の頭領」; leans toward gangs and bands of outlaws, not office superiors.
• Related職長しょくちょうNeutralA foreman or crew chief who supervises workers at a worksite; to the workers he oversees, he is their 「上司」.
• Antonym部下ぶかNeutralAntonym: one's subordinates, the opposite of 「上司」, as in 「部下を育てる」.

Use 「上司」 for the person above you at work who directs you, as in 「直属の上司」. Say 「ボス」 casually, 「リーダー」 for whoever leads a team, and 「親方」 in traditional trades; the opposite is 「部下」. The rest are narrow or formal terms.

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

1. ある官庁かんちょうより上位じょういとなる官庁かんちょう。
2. 組織そしきにおいて自分じぶんより上位じょういの役職やくしょくにあり、自分じぶんに対たいし指揮しき・命令めいれい・監督かんとくなどの権限けんげんをもつ者もの。