私の女王
watashi no joō
私の女王 (watashi no joō) is the Japanese way to say "my queen."
This phrase is used to refer to a female monarch who rules a kingdom. While it is a literal translation of "my queen," it is rarely used in natural Japanese conversation and is most likely to be found in highly stylized, dramatic or fictional contexts such as anime or fantasy novels.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the first-person pronoun 私 (watashi), the possessive particle の (no) and the noun 女王 (joō).
How do you pronounce it?
watashi no joō
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the concept of a 'queen' as a consort (the wife of a king) is often expressed with different words, such as 王妃 (ōhi), to distinguish her from a ruling monarch.
- If a person were addressing an actual reigning Empress of Japan, they would never use 女王 (joō), as the Japanese throne is historically held by an Emperor.
- Because Japanese uses many different words for 'my' depending on gender and politeness, a male character in an anime might use 俺の女王 (ore no joō) instead of 私の女王 (watashi no joō) to sound more rugged.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are acting out a play about a royal court.
- 蓮 Ren私の女王、お出ましです！watashi no joō, odemashi desu!My queen has arrived!
- 美咲 Misakiありがとう、蓮。準備はいい？arigatō, Ren. junbi wa ii?Thank you, Ren. Are you ready?
- 蓮 Renはい、私の女王。準備は万端です。hai, watashi no joō. junbi wa bantan desu.Yes, my queen. Everything is ready.
- 美咲 Misakiいいわね。じゃあ、始めましょう。ii wa ne. jā, hajimemashō.Good. Well then, let's begin.
