皇 — “imperial / emperor” in Japanese

Grade 6こう, おう

Radical ⽩ · radical 106 The building block this kanji is filed under

“imperial / emperor” in Japanese is 皇, read kou, ou (こう, おう). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 天皇 (the Emperor).

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What does 皇 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	皇
Meaning	imperial / emperor
Readings	こう, おう
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	天皇 (the Emperor)

How to read 皇

皇 is read kou (こう) or ou (おう) depending on the word.

Words with 皇

皇后
天皇

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Kanji read the same way as 皇

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Updated: 2026-08-28