1.
lord; feudal lord; master
A title for a feudal lord or person of high rank in historical Japan. In modern usage, it appears in historical dramas, period fiction, and humorous contexts.
殿、敵が攻めてまいりました。
My lord, the enemy has attacked.
殿の命令には誰も逆らえなかった。
No one could defy the lord's orders.
戦国時代の殿たちは領地を広げるために戦った。
The feudal lords of the Warring States period fought to expand their territories.
2.
husband; master of the house (archaic/humorous)
An old-fashioned or humorous way for a wife or servant to refer to the master of the household.
うちの殿は料理が全くできない。
My husband can't cook at all.
殿のお帰りだ。
The master is home.
うちの殿は休みの日は一日中ゴロゴロしている。
My husband lounges around all day on his days off.
NOTE:
Do not confuse 殿 (lord) with the suffix 殿, which is an honorific attached to names in formal documents (e.g., 田中殿).
CULTURAL NOTE:
殿 is strongly associated with samurai and feudal Japan. In modern Japanese, calling someone 殿 is often humorous or dramatic. Wives sometimes use it playfully to refer to their husbands.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- お殿様 (lord — more respectful/childlike)
- 殿の命令 (the lord's orders)
- うちの殿 (my husband — humorous)