王后
wong⁴ hau⁶
The English phrase queen is translated into Cantonese as 王后 (wong⁴ hau⁶) or 女王.
Meaning: female monarch (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 王后 | wong⁴ hau⁶ |
| 女王 | neoi⁵ wong⁴ |
The term used depends on whether you are referring to a woman who rules a country or the wife of a king.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 女王 is composed of 女 (female) and 王 (king/monarch), literally meaning female monarch.
Which one should you use?
Use 女王 (neoi5 wong4) when referring to a queen regnant who rules a country in her own right. Use 王后 (wong4 hau6) when referring to a queen consort, or the wife of a king.
How do you pronounce it?
wong⁴ hau⁶
Did you know?
- In Cantonese, the character 王 meaning 'king' is a pictograph of three horizontal lines connected by a vertical one, which originally represented three royal jewels tied together.
- Although 王后 means queen consort, the character 后 originally meant 'behind' or 'after', reflecting the consort's traditional position behind the king.
- When referring to the 'Queen' in a deck of playing cards, Cantonese speakers use the term Q or Queen directly, rather than using the traditional Chinese characters.
Examples in context
- 呢位女皇統治咗好多年。This queen has ruled for many years.
- 我媽媽係我心目中嘅皇后。My mother is the queen of my heart.
- 佢係一位好受歡迎嘅王后。keoi5 si6 jat1 wai5 hou2 sau6 fun1 joi4 wong4 hau6.She is a very popular queen.
- 王后戴住個好靚嘅皇冠。wong4 hau6 daai3 zyu6 go3 hou2 leng3 ge3 wong4 gun1.The queen is wearing a beautiful crown.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a historical drama they are watching.
- 美玲 Mei Ling嗰個王后好有氣場。go2 go3 wong4 hau6 hou2 jau5 hei3 coeng4.That queen has a great presence.
- 子健 Tsz Kin係呀，佢演得好出色。hai6 aa3, keoi5 jin2 dak6 hou2 ceot1 sik1.Yes, she acts very excellently.
- 美玲 Mei Ling子健，你覺得呢套戲好睇嗎？zi2 gin6, nei5 gok3 dak1 nei1 tou3 hei3 hou2 tai2 maa1?Zi Kin, do you think this show is good?
- 子健 Tsz Kin我覺得好精彩，美玲。ngo5 gok3 dak1 hou2 zing1 caai2, mei5 ling4.I think it is very wonderful, Mei Ling.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “queen” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
