thiên hoàng

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 天皇, composed of 天 (“heaven”) and 皇 (“sovereign; emperor”), from Japanese 天皇 (tennō), from Literary Chinese 天皇 (tiānhuáng, “the Heavenly Sovereign”, read in modern Japanese as てんこう (Tenkō) for distinction), one of the 三皇 (Sānhuáng, “Three Sovereigns”), together with the 地皇 (“Earthly Sovereign”) and the 人皇 (“Human Sovereign”). Literary Chinese 天皇 (tiānhuáng) was also broadly interpreted as a mortal emperor who is the 天子 (tiānzǐ, “Child of Heaven”) who receives the 天命 (tiānmìng, “Mandate of Heaven”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [tʰiən˧˧ hwaːŋ˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [tʰiəŋ˧˧ hwaːŋ˦˩]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [tʰiəŋ˧˧ waːŋ˨˩]

Noun

thiên hoàng

1. an Emperor or Empress Regnant of Japan

   Synonym: Nhật hoàng

   Thiên hoàng Minh Trị

   Emperor Meiji