皇
皇 — Emperor
emperor
On’yomiコウ (kou)
On’yomiオウ (ou)
Kun’yomi—
Stroke order (9 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 皇
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 天皇 | てんのう tennou | Emperor of Japan |
| 皇太子 | こうたいし koutaishi | crown prince |
| 皇后 | こうごう kougou | empress (consort) |
| 天皇陛下 | てんのうへいか tennouheika | His Majesty the Emperor |
| 皇居 | こうきょ koukyo | Imperial Palace (of Japan); imperial residence |
| 皇室 | こうしつ koushitsu | Imperial household |
Study notes
皇 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 9 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 6), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #721 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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