皇帝(こうてい)

こうてい
noun
emperor
politicshistory
1. emperor
The sovereign ruler of an empire. Used primarily for foreign emperors (Roman, Chinese, etc.) and historically for the Chinese-style title. For the Japanese emperor, 天皇 is the standard term.
ローマ皇帝(こうてい)の歴史(れきし)を学(まな)んだ。
I studied the history of the Roman emperors.
ナポレオンは自(みずか)ら皇帝(こうてい)の位(くらい)に就(つ)いた。
Napoleon crowned himself emperor.
中国(ちゅうごく)の歴代(れきだい)皇帝(こうてい)は天(てん)の命(めい)を受(う)けて国(くに)を治(おさ)めたとされる。
The successive emperors of China were said to rule the country by the Mandate of Heaven.

Similar words

皇帝(こうてい) vs. 天皇(てんのう) — 皇帝(こうてい) is used for emperors in general (especially foreign ones), while 天皇(てんのう) refers specifically to the Emperor of Japan. Using 皇帝(こうてい) for the Japanese emperor is considered incorrect in modern Japanese.

皇帝(こうてい) vs. 王(おう) / 国王(こくおう) — 皇帝(こうてい) (emperor) rules an empire, while 王(おう) or 国王(こくおう) (king) rules a kingdom. An emperor outranks a king in the traditional hierarchy.

Common collocations

Related Words

Compare: 天皇(てんのう) (Japanese emperor)
Compare: 国王(こくおう) (king)
Related: 王様(おうさま) (king)
Compare: 王(おう) (king)
general
Added 2026.3.8 21:24 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
15500/15856_koutei