主・主人・饗|あるじaruji[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounhead (of a household); proprietor (of a store); proprietress; landlord; landlady; master (of a servant)
   この家いえのあるじは私だ。↗

   It is I who am head of this family.
2. nounentertaining someone as one's guest

• Synonym主人しゅじんNeutralAn everyday word for the head of a household, a shop owner, or one's husband. 「主（あるじ）」 also means a household head and, further, the one entertaining guests.
• Synonym旦那だんなNeutralA colloquial, frequently used word for a master of the house, one's husband, or an address for male customers.
• Synonym亭主ていしゅNeutralMeans the head of a household or an innkeeper, and by extension a husband; carries an old-fashioned flavor.
• Synonym経営者けいえいしゃNeutralSomeone who runs a business; the emphasis is on management, and it does not refer to a host entertaining guests.
• Synonym主君しゅくんWrittenThe lord one serves and owes allegiance to; feudal in flavor and leaning toward written prose.
• Related雇い主やといぬしNeutralAn employer — the boss who hires people; the emphasis is on the employment relationship.
• Related持ち主もちぬしNeutralThe owner of a thing; the focus is ownership, and it does not refer to a host entertaining guests.
• RelatedオーナーNeutralA loanword for a business owner or proprietor; common in speech, with the focus on ownership.
• Related抱え主かかえぬしWrittenA written-register word for an employer of geisha and the like in olden times; carries a historical flavor.
• Related抱え手かかえてWrittenSame meaning as 「抱え主」: a written-register word for an employer of geisha and the like in olden times.
• Antonym雇い人やといにんWrittenWritten register. Usually the hired person — employee or servant — but it can also mean the hirer; mostly in a superior-subordinate relation to the 「主」 as master.

Use 「主（あるじ）」 for the head of a household, a shop owner, or a host entertaining guests, as in 「宿の主」. 「主人」 is also common; use 「旦那」 for a master of the house, 「亭主」 for an innkeeper, 「雇い主」 for an employer, and 「持ち主」 for an owner.

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

1. （あるじ）家族かぞくや小規模しょうきぼな集団しゅうだんにおける首長しゅちょう。
2. ある領域りょういきや組織そしきを治おさめている人ひと。主人しゅじん。