皇后

Chinese

		divine, imperial; emperor	empress; queen
simp. and trad. (皇后)		皇	后

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): huánghòu

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄏㄡˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): wong⁴ hau⁶

• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): fòng-heu
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): hông-hō͘ / hông-hiǒ / hông-hiō

  (Teochew, Peng'im): huang⁵ hou⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: huánghòu
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄏㄡˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: huánghòu
    • Wade–Giles: huang²-hou⁴
    • Yale: hwáng-hòu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hwanghow
    • Palladius: хуанхоу (xuanxou)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: wong⁴ hau⁶
    • Yale: wòhng hauh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: wong⁴ hau⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: wong⁴ heo⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɔːŋ²¹ hɐu̯²²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fòng-heu
    • Hakka Romanization System: fongˇ heu
    • Hagfa Pinyim: fong² heu⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /foŋ¹¹ heu̯⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hông-hō͘
    • Tâi-lô: hông-hōo
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hongho
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /hɔŋ¹³⁻²² hɔ²²/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /hɔŋ²³⁻³³ hɔ³³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /hɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ hɔ³³/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /hɔŋ²⁴⁻²² hɔ²²/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hông-hiǒ
    • Tâi-lô: hông-hiǒ
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /hɔŋ²⁴⁻²² hio²²/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hông-hiō
    • Tâi-lô: hông-hiō
    • Phofsit Daibuun: honghioi
    • IPA (Taipei): /hɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ hio³³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /hɔŋ²³⁻³³ hiɤ³³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: huang⁵ hou⁶
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: huâng hŏu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /huaŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ hou³⁵/

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• Middle Chinese: hwang huwH

Rime
Character	皇	后
Reading #	1/1	2/2
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)	匣 (33)
Final (韻)	唐 (102)	侯 (137)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	I	I
Fanqie	胡光切	胡遘切
Baxter	hwang	huwH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦwɑŋ/	/ɦəuH/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦʷɑŋ/	/ɦəuH/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣuɑŋ/	/ɣəuH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦwaŋ/	/ɦəwH/
Li Rong	/ɣuɑŋ/	/ɣuH/
Wang Li	/ɣuɑŋ/	/ɣəuH/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɣwɑŋ/	/ɣə̯uH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	huáng	hòu
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wong4	hau6

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[ɢ]ʷˤaŋ  ɢˤ(r)oʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɡʷaːŋ  ɡoːs/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	皇	后
Reading #	2/2	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	huáng	hòu
Middle Chinese	‹ hwang ›	‹ huwX ›
Old Chinese	/*[ɢ]ʷˁaŋ/	/*ɢˁ(r)oʔ/
English	sovereign	sovereign; queen
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	皇	后
Reading #	1/1	2/2
No.	12696	5172
Phonetic component	王	后
Rime group	陽	侯
Rime subdivision	0	0
Corresponding MC rime	黃	𠋫
Old Chinese	/*ɡʷaːŋ/	/*ɡoːs/
Notes	禮王制鄭注冕屬， 金文象羽冠，王聲；或雲象日射輝則爲暀晃初文

Noun

皇后

1. empress, particularly an empress consort
2. (Hong Kong, historical) the British Queen

   皇后大道中 [Cantonese]  ―  wong⁴ hau⁶ daai⁶ dou⁶ zung¹ [Jyutping]  ―  Queen's Road Central

3. (tarot) the Empress

Usage notes

Usually not used for a female monarch, who is called 女皇 (nǚhuáng) or just 皇帝 (huángdì) (which is gender neutral), but for the wife of a monarch.

Synonyms

• 中宮／中宫 (zhōnggōng)

Derived terms

• 皇后區 (Huánghòuqū)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (皇后):

• → Japanese: 皇后(こうごう) (kōgō)
• → Korean: 황후(皇后) (hwanghu)
• → Vietnamese: hoàng hậu (皇后)

Others:

• → Manchu: ᡥᡡᠸᠠᠩᡥᡝᠣ (hūwangheo)
• → Thai: ฮองเฮา (hɔng-hao)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
皇	后
こう Grade: 6	ごう Grade: 6
on’yomi

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) こーご​ー [kòógóꜜò] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [ko̞ːɡo̞ː]

Noun

皇(こう)后(ごう) • (kōgō) ^{←くわうごう (kwaugou)?}

1. empress consort

See also

• 中宮(ちゅうぐう) (chūgū): another position translated as empress consort
• 天皇(てんのう) (tennō): emperor of Japan

Korean

Hanja in this term
皇	后

Noun

皇后 • (hwanghu) (hangeul 황후)

1. Hanja form^? of 황후 (“empress”).

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
皇	后

Noun

皇后

1. chữ Hán form of hoàng hậu (“empress consort”).