主
ぬし · nushi · JLPT N1 · na-adj
master
🪔 Originally a lamp's flame; the master keeps the household's light burning
The Shuowen dictionary defines 主 as the flame in a lamp. It came to mean the one who holds the light at home, then owner, master, and finally lord or deity.
主 — flame/lamp on top of a stand 王
Originally a pictograph of a lamp with a flame on top of its stand, representing the lord or master of the household who tended the fire. The meaning extended from 'lamp/host' to 'master, owner, main, principal'. The character 炷 (wick) preserves the original 'lamp' sense.
しゅ · shu · JLPT N1 · na-adj
master
主 — flame/lamp on top of a stand 王
Originally a pictograph of a lamp with a flame on top of its stand, representing the lord or master of the household who tended the fire. The meaning extended from 'lamp/host' to 'master, owner, main, principal'. The character 炷 (wick) preserves the original 'lamp' sense.