1.
(someone else's) husband
Polite term used to refer to another person's husband. The honorific ご makes it respectful.
ご主人はお元気ですか。
How is your husband?
Polite inquiry
ご主人のお仕事は何ですか。
What does your husband do for work?
ご主人にもよろしくお伝えください。
Please give my regards to your husband.
ご主人と一緒に来られますか。
Will you come with your husband?
ご主人がいらっしゃらないときは、お電話いたします。
I will call when your husband is home.
ご主人のご趣味は何ですか。
What are your husband's hobbies?
2.
master, proprietor
Can also refer to the master of a house or the proprietor of a shop.
このお店のご主人は親切だ。
The owner of this shop is kind.
Meaning 'proprietor'
この旅館のご主人は料理が上手だ。
The proprietor of this inn is good at cooking.
居酒屋のご主人におすすめを聞いた。
I asked the owner of the izakaya for recommendations.
この老舗のご主人は三代目で、祖父の代からの伝統を守り続けているそうだ。
The owner of this long-established shop is the third generation, and I hear he continues to preserve the traditions from his grandfather's time.
あの寿司屋のご主人は毎朝市場に行って魚を選んでいるそうだ。
I hear the owner of that sushi restaurant goes to the market every morning to select fish.
ご主人 is the polite form for referring to someone else's husband.
RELATED TERMS:
- 主人: my husband (humble when referring to own spouse)
- 夫: husband (neutral/formal for own husband)
- 旦那さん: husband (casual-polite for someone else's)
- 奥さん: (someone else's) wife
USAGE NOTE: Using 主人 for one's own husband is traditional but some consider it old-fashioned. Modern alternatives include 夫 or パートナー.
[Register: Polite]