女じょ王おう

also: じょうおう · にょおう

じょ

お

う

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

Refers to a female monarch or the wife of a king. Also used figuratively for a woman who is preeminent in a field.

エリザベス女じょ王おうは長ながく在ざい位いした。
Queen Elizabeth reigned for a long time.
彼かの女じょは社しゃ交こう界かいの女じょ王おうと呼よばれている。
She is called the queen of society.

2

female champion

Only with reading じょおう / じょうおう

Used for a woman who has won a competition, especially in sports or games.

彼かの女じょはテニスの女じょ王おうとして知しられている。
She is known as the queen of tennis.

See all 57 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉の女じょ王おうthe queen of a place/field
彼かの女じょは社しゃ交こう界かいの女じょ王おうと呼よばれている。
She is called the queen of high society.
女じょ王おうの座ざを守まもるto defend one's title as (female) champion
彼かの女じょは今こん年ねんも女じょ王おうの座ざを守まもった。
She defended her title as champion again this year.
女じょ王おうに即そく位いするto ascend the throne as queen
彼かの女じょは18歳さいで女じょ王おうに即そく位いした。
She ascended the throne as queen at the age of 18.
〈分ぶん野や〉の女じょ王おうと呼よばれるto be called the queen of a certain field
彼かの女じょはテニス界かいの女じょ王おうと呼よばれている。
She is called the queen of the tennis world.

Kanji

女woman, female
王king, rule, magnate

Related words

クイーン
女王 is the native Japanese word for a queen and is used more broadly, including figuratively (e.g. 美の女王), while クイーン is a loanword often reserved for Western contexts like cards, chess, or titles.
国こく王おうN2
国王 can denote a king or queen of either gender, whereas 女王 specifically means a female monarch, a queen.

Opposites

王おうN3sense 1
女王 is a female monarch or champion, while 王 is the male counterpart, king.
王おう様さまN3
王様 refers to a male monarch (king), while 女王 refers to the female counterpart (queen).

Don't confuse with

王おう妃ひ sense 1
女王 can be a reigning female monarch or champion, whereas 王妃 specifically means the wife of a king, not a ruler in her own right.
王おう女じょN2sense 1
女王 refers to a queen who reigns or a top female competitor, while 王女 means a princess, i.e. a king's daughter, with no ruling power implied.
后きさき
女王 is a reigning queen who rules in her own right, whereas 后 is only the wife of a ruling emperor or king and holds no sovereign power.

Word family

女じょ王おう蜂ばち
queen bee; queen wasp
女じょ王おうアリ
queen ant
女じょ王おうらしい
queen-like; queenly; befitting a queen
視し聴ちょう率りつ女じょ王おう
queen of TV ratings

Written forms

女王Usage100%
- じょおう
  Standard kanji spelling with the most common reading.
- じょうおう
  Alternate reading; less common but still encountered.
- にょおう
  Historical reading; not used in modern Japanese.
にょおう
じょうおう

Etymology

Compound of 女 (woman) and 王 (king). The reading じょおう is the standard Sino-Japanese reading; じょうおう is a common contraction, and にょおう is an older, now archaic reading.