# 皇后
## Chinese
### Etymology
#### "The British Queen"

    Originated from early translation errors. In the past, only men could become the emperor of China (with the only exception of Wu Zetian, who became the empress by usurping the throne), and therefore the local translators at that time had no concept of "queen regnant" in Western society, thus assuming that the word "queen" in English only meant "queen consort".

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): huánghòu
    (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄏㄡˋ
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): wong$^4$ hau$^6$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): vong$^3$ heu$^5$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): fòng-heu
    (Hailu, HRS): fong heu$^˖$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): hông-hō͘ / hông-hiǒ / hông-hiō
    (Teochew, Peng'im): huang$^5$ hou$^6$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: huánghòu
*** Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄏㄡˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: huánghòu
*** Wade–Giles: huang$^2$-hou$^4$
*** Yale: hwáng-hòu
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hwanghow
*** Palladius: хуанхоу (xuanxou)
*** Sinological IPA : /xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: wong$^4$ hau$^6$
*** Yale: wòhng hauh
*** Cantonese Pinyin: wong$^4$ hau$^6$
*** Guangdong Romanization: wong$^4$ heo$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /wɔːŋ²¹ hɐu̯²²/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: vong$^3$ heu$^5$
*** Sinological IPA : /vɔŋ²² heu³²/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fòng-heu
*** Hakka Romanization System: fong$^ˇ$ heu
*** Hagfa Pinyim: fong$^2$ heu$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /foŋ¹¹ heu̯⁵⁵/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: fong heu$^˖$
*** Sinological IPA: /foŋ⁵⁵ heu³³/
* 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: huang$^5$ hou$^6$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: huâng hŏu
*** Sinological IPA : /huaŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ hou³⁵/
* 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/ | /ɦəu$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ɦʷɑŋ/ | /ɦəu$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ɣuɑŋ/ | /ɣəu$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ɦwaŋ/ | /ɦəw$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /ɣuɑŋ/ | /ɣu$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /ɣuɑŋ/ | /ɣəu$^H$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /ɣwɑŋ/ | /ɣə̯u$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | huáng | hòu |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | wong$^4$ | hau$^6$ |
* 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 › | ‹ huw$^X$ › |
| 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
* empress, particularly an empress consort
* (Hong Kong, historical, now chiefly in place names) the British Queen
    皇后大道中 [Cantonese] ― wong$^4$ hau$^6$ daai$^6$ dou$^6$ zung$^1$ [Jyutping] ― Queen's Road Central
* (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

* → 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: [ko̞ːɡo̞ː]

### Noun

皇(こう)后(ごう) • (kōgō)
* 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

### References

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

## Korean

Hanja in this term :
| 皇 | 后 |

### Noun

皇后 • (hwanghu) (hangeul 황후)
* hanja form of 황후 (“empress”)

## Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term :
| 皇 | 后 |

### Noun

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