Shogun
/ˈʃoʊ.ɡʌn/noun
A hereditary military ruler of Japan who held the real political and military power.
Did you know?Shogun comes from an old Chinese bureaucratic-military title, showing how a word for commander evolved into the name of Japan’s ultimate warrior authority.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Chinese
將軍
“military commander; general”
7th–8th Century
Sino-Japanese
しょうぐん
“a military commander title used in Japan”
Heian Period
Japanese
征夷大将軍
“"great general who subdues the barbarians"; an official military title”
Medieval Japanese
Japanese
将軍
“general; military commander”
Modern English
English
shogun
“the military ruler of Japan in the feudal era”