Refers to the wife of an emperor or a queen consort in a monarchy. Used in historical or formal contexts.
Her Majesty the Empress attended the ceremony.
The painting depicts the empress in her younger days.
Standard kanji spelling for 'empress' or 'queen' in imperial contexts.
Alternate spelling using 后 (empress/queen) instead of 皇 (imperial). Less common but still encountered.
Compound of 皇 (imperial) and 妃 (princess/consort). The alternate form 后妃 uses 后 (empress/queen) instead of 皇.