女王
joō[d͡ʑo̞o̞ː]
In Japanese, the English phrase queen is translated as 女王 (joō). Wiktionary also lists 王 (ō) and クイーン (kuīn).
Meaning: female monarch (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 女王 | joō | [d͡ʑo̞o̞ː] (narrow) [d͡ʑo̞ːo̞ː] (narrow) |
| 王 | ō | [o̞ː] (narrow) [ko̞ɲ̟ikʲiɕi] (narrow) |
| クイーン | kuīn | [kɯ̟ĩːɴ] (narrow) |
The term 女王 is used to describe a female monarch. It is the standard term for a political monarch.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 女王 is composed of the characters for 'woman' (女) and 'king/monarch' (王).
Which one should you use?
There are several ways to refer to a queen depending on her status. 女王 refers to a female monarch who rules in her own right, whereas 王妃 refers to the wife of a king. Additionally, the loanword クイーン is often used in modern contexts like pop culture or beauty pageant titles.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The formal term for queen is 女王. In contrast, クイーン is a colloquial loanword used for contemporary titles and pop culture.
How do you pronounce it?
joō
Did you know?
- The kanji for 'king' 王 is visually composed of three horizontal lines connected by one vertical line, symbolizing heaven, earth and humanity.
- Japanese uses the word 女王 not only for royalty but also as a trope in subcultures to describe a dominant or commanding woman.
- The character used for 'king' in 女王, which is 王, was originally a symbol representing a heavy ceremonial vessel or an axe.
Examples in context
- 王妃は王のかたわらに立っていた。The queen stood beside the king.Tatoeba #188468 by bunbuku, translation #25611 by CK
- ビクトリア女王は英国の君主だった。Queen Victoria was the sovereign of Great Britain.Tatoeba #197630 by KK_kaku_, translation #34816 by Objectivesea
- ３隻の船が女王から彼に与えられた。Three ships were given to him by the queen.Tatoeba #235277 by arnab, translation #72655 by CM
- 女王陛下、初めまして。Your Majesty, nice to meet you.
- 天皇の皇后は美智子さまです。The Empress Consort of the Emperor is Empress Michiko.
- ビヨンセさんは本当に美しい女王様ですね。Beyoncé is a truly beautiful queen.
- 彼女はクイーンとして王国を指導しています。She is leading the kingdom as a queen.
- 美しい女王が国のために尽力しています。The beautiful queen is working hard for the country.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are talking about a history book.
- 陽太 Yotaこの本はどの女王について書いてあるの？Kono hon wa dono joō ni tsuite kaite aru no?Which queen is this book written about?
- 結衣 Yuiフランスの女王についてだよ。Furansu no joō ni tsuite dayo.It is about the queen of France.
- 陽太 Yotaへえ、女王の人生は大変そうだね。Hee, joō no jinsei wa taihen sō da ne.I see, the life of a queen seems difficult.
- 結衣 Yuiそうだね。でもとても強い女性だったよ。Sō da ne. Demo totemo tsuyoi josei datta yo.True. But she was a very strong woman.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “queen” translations and entries 女王, 王, クイーン, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
