大臣
だいじん · daijin · JLPT N3 · noun
cabinet minister
🏛️💼 大臣 = great (大) + retainer (臣): the ruler's top servant
臣 means a vassal or subject who serves a ruler. A 大臣 is the most senior of those servants, which today means a cabinet minister. 総理大臣 (sōri daijin) is the Prime Minister.
大 — pictograph of a person with arms outstretched
大 is a pictograph showing a person standing with arms and legs spread wide. The outstretched arms suggest 'big' or 'great', extending from the literal image of a large stance to abstract meanings like important or grand. It is one of the oldest characters, found on oracle bones.