救世主
kyūseishu[kʲɨːse̞ːɕɨ]
The Japanese word for savior is 救世主 (kyūseishu).
救世主 refers to a person who rescues someone from harm. Like in English, it can be used metaphorically to describe a person who arrives at a critical moment to rescue someone from a difficult situation.
Meaning: a person who saves someone, rescues another from harm (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 救世主 is composed of the characters 救 (save), 世 (world) and 主 (lord/master), literally meaning 'savior of the world'.
Which one should you use?
While 救世主 often refers to a 'savior of the world' or a messianic figure, the related form 救い主 is more commonly used in a religious context to refer to a personal savior or redeemer.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
kyūseishu
Did you know?
- The word 救い (sukui) in 救い主 is the noun form of the verb 'to save', but it also means 'scooping' something up, like water or rice, with a ladle.
- The term 救世主 is heavily influenced by Western theological concepts of a 'Messiah', making it a relatively modern construction in the history of the Japanese language compared to indigenous spiritual terms.
- The kanji 救 in 救世主 is also used in the word 救急車 (kyūkyūsha), meaning 'ambulance', which literally translates to 'urgent rescue vehicle'.
Examples in context
- マーリーちゃんはティムくんの救世主です。Marley is Tim's savior.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of 救世主 to describe someone being a savior to another person.Tatoeba #10301620 by small_snow, translation #10301625 by DJ_Saidez
- 君は私の救い主だ。You are my savior.
- 彼は絶望の淵から私を連れ出した救世主です。Kare wa zetsubou no fuchi kara watashi o tsureidashita kyuseishu desu.He is the savior who pulled me from the depths of despair.
- その発明は、病に苦しむ人々にとっての救世主となるだろう。Sono hatsumei wa, yamai ni kurushimu hitobito ni totte no kyuseishu to naru darou.That invention will be a savior for people suffering from illness.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a hero in a movie.
- 陽葵 Himariあの映画の主人公は、まさに救世主だったね。Ano eiga no shujinkou wa, masa ni kyuseishu datta ne.The protagonist of that movie was truly a savior, wasn't he?
- 大翔 Hirotoそうだね、絶体絶命の場面で現れたからね。Sou dane, zettaizetsumei no bamen de arawareta kara ne.You're right, because he appeared at the worst possible moment.
- 陽葵 Himari大翔君も、あんな風に誰かを助けたいと思っている？Hiroto-kun mo, anna fuu ni dareka o tasuketai to omotte iru?Hiroto, do you also want to help someone like that?
- 大翔 Hirotoもちろん、困っている人がいたら助けたいよ。Mochiron, komatte iru hito ga itara tasuketai yo.Of course, if someone is in trouble, I want to help them.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “savior” translations and entries 救世主, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
