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皇后 (kougou) Japanese meaning: empress consort | Kotomora
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Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress attended the ceremony.
Her Majesty the Empress visited the disaster-stricken area.
Related words 王妃 is used for the consort of a king in a non-Japanese or fictional kingdom, while 皇后 specifically refers to the consort of the Japanese emperor.
皇后 is the standard modern term for the Japanese empress consort, while 后 is a more formal or historical word for the same role.
Don't confuse with 女帝 means a woman who reigns as emperor in her own right, whereas 皇后 is merely the emperor's wife and does not hold ruling power herself.
皇太后 refers to the widow of a former emperor (empress dowager), while 皇后 is the consort of the reigning emperor.
Written forms 皇こう 后ごう Usage 99%
Standard kanji spelling for the title of an emperor's consort; this form and reading is high priority.
コウゴウ Usage 1%
Etymology A Sino-Japanese compound: 皇 is associated with imperial authority, and 后 with an empress or queen. The spelling directly reflects the official imperial title.
