Chinese

Noun

家長

1. the head of a household, family head
2. a patriarch

Japanese

Etymology

From Sinitic 家長.

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• IPA^(key): /ka.t͡ɕo.o/, [kät͡ɕʲo̞ː]

Noun

家長 ‎(hiragana かちょう, romaji kachō)

1. the head of a household, a householder
2. a patriarch
3. a matriarch

Usage notes

Historically, this role has more commonly been filled by a man. However, this word alone is generally not gender-specific, and can refer to either a male or female head of household. To specify a particular gender, this word may be prefixed with either 女 ‎(onna, “woman”) or 男 ‎(otoko, “man”).

Synonyms

• 族長 (ぞくちょう) ‎(zokuchō): the head of a family or clan

See also

• 女家長 (おんなかちょう) ‎(onna kachō): a matriarch, the female head of a household
• 男家長 (おとこかちょう) ‎(otoko kachō): a patriarch, the male head of a household
• 女族長 (おんなぞくちょう) ‎(onna zokuchō): a matriarch, the female head of a family or clan
• 男族長 (おとこぞくちょう) ‎(otoko zokuchō): a patriarch, the male head of a family or clan