妃(きさき)

きさき
noun
empress consort; queen consort
formalliteraryperson
1. empress consort; queen consort; royal wife
The wife of an emperor or king. In Japanese history, refers specifically to the consort of the emperor.
王(おう)は妃(きさき)を迎(むか)えた。
The king took a consort.
妃(きさき)は宮殿(きゅうでん)の庭(にわ)を散歩(さんぽ)していた。
The queen consort was strolling through the palace garden.
物語(ものがたり)の中(なか)で、若(わか)い妃(きさき)は国(くに)の運命(うんめい)を左右(さゆう)する決断(けつだん)を下(くだ)した。
In the story, the young queen made a decision that determined the fate of the country.

Usage: 妃(きさき) is a classical and literary term. In modern Japanese, 皇后(こうごう) is more commonly used for the empress consort.

Common collocations

The kanji 妃(きさき) has two readings: きさき as a standalone word and ひ in compounds such as 王妃(おうひ) and 妃殿下(ひでんか). The standalone reading きさき has a classical, dignified tone and appears frequently in historical texts and fairy tales.

Related Words

Related: 皇后(こうごう) (empress consort (modern term))
general
Added 2026.3.3 20:19 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
14500/14750_kisaki