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聖寿 (せいじゅ, seiju) Japanese meaning: imperial age | Kotomora

聖せい寿じゅ

せ

い

じゅ

Meanings

1

imperial age; emperor's life

Honorific term used in historical or formal contexts to refer to the age or life of the emperor. Rare in modern everyday language.

古ふるい文ぶん献けんには「聖せい寿じゅ万ばん歳ざい」と記しるされている。
Old documents record the phrase 'long live the emperor'.

Kanji

聖holy, saint, sage
寿longevity, congratulations, one's natural life

Related words

陛へい下か
陛下 is a common honorific title for the emperor, while 聖寿 specifically refers to the emperor's age or life span.
御おん年とし
御年 is a polite term for someone's age, not limited to the emperor. 聖寿 is exclusively imperial.

Etymology

Compound of 聖 (holy, imperial) and 寿 (longevity, age). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is conventionally associated with the emperor's life.