Japanese symbol for “empress”
皇后
こうごう
Romaji: kougou
empress (consort)
In Japanese, empress is 皇后, read こうごう (kougou).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n empress (consort)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “empress”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 后 | きさき kisaki | empress (consort); queen (consort) |
| 女帝 | じょてい jotei | empress |
| 王妃 | おうひ ouhi | queen (consort); empress (consort) |
| 后 | きさい kisai | empress (consort); queen (consort) |
| 国母 | こくぼ kokubo | empress; empress dowager |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 天皇 | てんのう tennou | Emperor of Japan |
| 皇帝 | こうてい koutei | emperor |
| 皇太子 | こうたいし koutaishi | crown prince |
| 皇室 | こうしつ koushitsu | Imperial household |
| 天皇陛下 | てんのうへいか tennouheika | His Majesty the Emperor |
| 皇太后 | こうたいごう koutaigou | Empress Dowager; Queen Mother |
| 母后 | ぼこう bokou | empress dowager |
| 太皇太后 | たいこうたいごう taikoutaigou | Grand Empress Dowager |
See also: Chinese symbol for “empress”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.