帝 — “Sovereign / The Emperor / God / Creator” in Japanese

Master (高手)てい, みかど

Radical ⼱ · radical 50 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Sovereign / The Emperor / God / Creator” in Japanese is 帝, read tei, mikado (てい, みかど). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 帝国 (empire).

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What does 帝 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	帝
Meaning	Sovereign / The Emperor / God / Creator
Readings	てい, みかど
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	帝国 (empire)

How to read 帝

帝 is read tei (てい) or mikado (みかど) depending on the word.

Words with 帝

帝国

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Kanji read the same way as 帝

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28