皇こう后ごう

こ

う

ご

う

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

empress consort; emperor's wife

Refers to the consort of an emperor, especially the wife of the Japanese emperor. It does not usually mean a woman who rules as emperor in her own right.

式しき典てんには天皇てんのう皇こう后ごう両りょう陛へい下かが出しゅっ席せきされた。
Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress attended the ceremony.

皇こう后ごう陛へい下かが被ひ災さい地ちを訪ほう問もんされた。

Her Majesty the Empress visited the disaster-stricken area.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉が皇こう后ごうになるfor someone to become empress
彼かの女じょは結けっ婚こんして皇こう后ごうになった。
She became empress upon marriage.
〈人ひと〉を皇こう后ごうに立たてるto install someone as empress
天皇てんのうは彼かの女じょを皇こう后ごうに立たてた。
The emperor installed her as empress.

Kanji

皇emperor
后empress, queen, after

Related words

王おう妃ひ
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.
后きさき
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

女じょ帝てい
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.
皇こう太たい后ごう
皇太后 refers to the widow of a former emperor (empress dowager), while 皇后 is the consort of the reigning emperor.

Word family

上じょう皇こう后ごう
retired empress; empress emerita
皇こう后ごう宮ぐう
empress's residence; empress's palace · empress

Written forms

皇こう后ごうUsage99%
Standard kanji spelling for the title of an emperor's consort; this form and reading is high priority.
コウゴウUsage1%

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.