also: ぎょくいん
the Emperor's voice
Specifically refers to the voice of the Emperor of Japan, often used in historical or formal contexts, especially regarding the 1945 radio broadcast of the surrender.
On the day the war ended, the people heard the Emperor's voice broadcast for the first time.
beautiful voice; beautiful sound
Literary or poetic term for a voice or sound that is as beautiful as a gem. Not used in everyday conversation.
Her singing voice is truly worthy of being called a beautiful sound.
recording disc of the Imperial surrender message
Imperial broadcast of surrender; Hirohito's radio address ending WWII
Standard kanji spelling; the reading ぎょくおん is the most common.
Alternate reading; less common and may be considered archaic or literary.
From 玉 (jewel, beautiful) + 音 (sound, voice). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used in classical Chinese and Japanese to refer to an emperor's voice or a beautiful sound.