天皇

		day; sky; heaven	emperor; surname
simp. and trad. (天皇)		天	皇
anagram		皇天

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “what is etymology of Chinese sense?”)

天皇

1. king of heaven; heavenly sovereign; (figurative) emperor
2. emperor or empress (regnant) of Japan

• Ding, Fubao (丁福保) (1922), “天皇” in 佛學大辭典 [A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms].

Kanji in this term
天	皇
てん Grade: 1	おう > のう Grade: 6
goon

/ten wau/ → /tenwɔː/ → /tenːɔː/ → /tenːoː/

From Middle Chinese 天皇 (MC then hwang) with the original sense of “heavenly sovereign”.

The 呉音 (goon, literally “Wu sound”) pronunciation, so likely the initial borrowing from Middle Chinese. The ō reading for 皇 changes to nō as an instance of renjō (連声).

• (Tokyo) てんのー [tèńnóꜜò] (Nakadaka – [3])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [tẽ̞nːo̞ː]

天(てん)皇(のう) • (tennō) ^{←てんわう (ten'wau)?}

1. an Emperor or Empress (regnant) of Japan

   Synonyms: 内の上 (uchi no ue), 皇天 (kōten), 内裏 (dairi), 天子 (tenshi), 帝 (mikado)

   天(てん)皇(のう)陛(へい)下(か) ― tennō Heika ― Your/His Majesty the Emperor/Her Majesty the Empress (Regnant)

   明(めい)治(じ)天(てん)皇(のう) ― Meiji tennō ― Emperor Meiji

   • 1889, Imperial Diet of Japan, “1, article 1”, in Meiji Constitution:

     大日本帝國(だいにっぽんていこく)ハ萬世一系(ばんせいいっけい)ノ天皇(てんのう)之(の)ヲ統治(とうち)ス

     Dainipponteikoku wa banseīkkei no tennō no o tōchi su

     The Empire of Japan shall be reigned over and governed by a line of Emperors unbroken for ages eternal.

2. (usually in Chinese contexts) an emperor, ruler, or other monarch with a heavenly mandate

   Synonym: 天子 (tenshi)

3. (by extension) a person having a strength or profession in a particular field of study or expertise

• 皇(こう)帝(てい) (kōtei, “emperor”, other than the Emperor of Japan)
• 大(おお)君(きみ) (ōkimi)

• → English: tenno, Tenno, Tennou
• → English: God Emperor (calque)
• → German: Tenno, Tennou
• → Italian: tenno

Kanji in this term
天	皇
てん Grade: 1	こう Grade: 6
kan'on

/ten kʷau/ → /tenkʷɔː/ → /tenkɔː/ → /tenkoː/

From Middle Chinese 天皇 (MC then hwang).

The 漢音 (kan'on, literally “Han sound”) pronunciation, so likely a later borrowing from Middle Chinese.

• (Tokyo) てんこー [tèńkóꜜò] (Nakadaka – [3])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [tẽ̞ŋko̞ː]

天(てん)皇(こう) • (tenkō) ^{←てんくわう (tenkwau)?}

1. (usually in Chinese contexts) an emperor, ruler, or other monarch with a heavenly mandate

   Synonym: 天子 (tenshi)

天(てん)皇(こう) • (Tenkō) ^{←てんくわう (Tenkwau)?}

1. (Chinese mythology) the first of the Three Sovereigns, possibly 伏羲 (Fukki, “Fu Xi”)

• 地(ち)皇(こう) (Chikō, the second)
• 人(じん)皇(こう) (Jinkō, the third)

Kanji in this term
天	皇
すべらぎ
Grade: 1	Grade: 6
jukujikun

Alternative spelling
皇

/sumeraɡi/ → /suberaɡi/

Shift from sumeragi below, with the nasal /m/ becoming a plosive /b/.

The kanji spelling is from tennō above.

• IPA^(key): [sɨbe̞ɾa̠ɡʲi]

天皇(すべらぎ) • (suberagi) 

1. (archaic) a term of address for an Emperor or Empress (regnant) of Japan

For quotations using this term, see Citations:天皇.

• 皇(すべらぎ)の花(はな) (suberagi no hana)
• 今(いま)皇(すべらぎ) (ima suberagi)
• 法(のり)の皇(すべらぎ) (nori no suberagi)

Kanji in this term
天	皇
すめらぎ
Grade: 1	Grade: 6
jukujikun

Alternative spelling
皇

⟨sume₁ro₂ki₁⟩ → */sumʲerəkʲi/ → */sumeraki/ → /sumeraɡi/

Possibly a shift from Old Japanese 天皇 (sume₁ro₂ki₁).

The kanji spelling is from tennō above.

• IPA^(key): [sɨme̞ɾa̠ɡʲi]

天皇(すめらぎ) • (sumeragi) 

1. (honorific, archaic) a term of address for an Emperor or Empress (regnant) of Japan

For quotations using this term, see Citations:天皇.

• 皇(すめらぎ) (Sumeragi)

Kanji in this term
天	皇
すめらぎみ
Grade: 1	Grade: 6
jukujikun

From 皇 (sumera-, prefix of praise and respect) +‎ 君 (kimi, “lord, master → sovereign”). The kimi changes to gimi as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

The kanji spelling is from tennō above.

• IPA^(key): [sɨme̞ɾa̠ɡʲimʲi]

天皇(すめらぎみ) • (sumeragimi) 

1. (honorific, archaic) a term of address for an Emperor or Empress (regnant) of Japan

For quotations using this term, see Citations:天皇.

Kanji in this term
天	皇
すめらみこと
Grade: 1	Grade: 6
jukujikun

Alternative spelling
皇尊

From Old Japanese.

From 皇 (sumera-, prefix of praise and respect) +‎ 尊 (mikoto, “Highness”).

The kanji spelling is from tennō above.

• IPA^(key): [sɨme̞ɾa̠mʲiko̞to̞]

天皇(すめらみこと) • (sumeramikoto) 

1. (honorific, archaic) a term of address for an Emperor or Empress (regnant) of Japan

   始(はつ)馭天下之(くにしらす)天皇(すめらみこと)

   Hatsu Kunishirasu Sumeramikoto

   the First Founding Emperor

• 大(おお)倭(やまと)根(ね)子(この)天皇(すめらみこと) (Ōyamatoneko no Sumeramikoto)

• 皇(こう)天(てん) (kōten)

Hanja in this term
天	皇

天皇 • (cheonhwang) (hangeul 천황)

1. hanja form^? of 천황 (“Emperor or Empress (regnant) of Japan”)

Possibly from 皇 (sume₁ro₂-, apophonic form of sume₁ra-, prefix of praise and respect) +‎ 君 (ki₁mi₁, “lord, master → sovereign”), with the final mi₁ dropping due to poetic reasons.

The kanji spelling is an orthographic borrowing from Middle Chinese 天皇 (MC then hwang).

天皇 (sume₁ro₂ki₁) (kana すめろき)

1. (honorific) a sovereign who governs a region
2. (by extension, honorific) a term of address for an Emperor or Empress (regnant) of Japan
3. (by extension) the imperial lineage or family line
4. the Emperor's reign

For quotations using this term, see Citations:天皇.

• Japanese: 天皇 (sumeragi, suberagi)

From 皇 (sume₁ra-, prefix of praise and respect) +‎ 尊 (mi₁ko₂to₂, “Highness”).

The kanji spelling is an orthographic borrowing from Middle Chinese 天皇 (MC then hwang).

• 皇尊

天皇 (sume₁rami₁ko₂to₂) (kana すめらみこと)

1. (honorific) a term of address for an Emperor or Empress (regnant) of Japan

For quotations using this term, see Citations:天皇.

• Japanese: 天皇, 皇尊 (sumeramikoto)

• 大君 (opoki₁mi)

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
天	皇

天皇

1. chữ Hán form of thiên hoàng (“Emperor or Empress (regnant) of Japan”).