王

See also: 𤣩, 𡈼, 壬, 玉, and 主

王	U+738B, 王 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-738B

← 玊
[U+738A]

CJK Unified Ideographs

玌 →
[U+738C]

王	U+2F929, 王 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-2F929

← 獺
[U+2F928]

CJK Compatibility Ideographs Supplement

㺬 →
[U+2F92A]

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order (Japan)

Stroke order

Han character

王 (Kangxi radical 96, 玉+-1, 4 strokes, cangjie input 一土 (MG), four-corner 1010₄, composition ⿱一土)

Shuowen Jiezi radical №5

Derived characters

Appendix:Chinese radical/玉
仼, 㕵, 𡉠, 彺, 忹, 抂, 汪, 狂, 旺, 枉, 𤆦, 𥘛, 𮀍, 𮂴, 𥿁, 蚟, 𧥶, 𧴽, 軖, 𬫃, 𩵭, 迋, 尪, 尫, 㒬, 尩, 𪼷, 䶭, 𮨧, 頊(顼), 鳿
兲, 丟, 弄, 𣅨, 𪳈, 主, 全, 𦍌, 呈, 𡭤, 㞷, 𦬬, 𭥕, 𭩜, 皇, 𦊄, 䍿, 𦤃, 望, 𩂊, 聖, 朢, 𭼆, 匡, 囯, 閏(闰), 𪡅, 噩, 𧘦, 㝙, 寚, 㴏, 鬥

References

KangXi: page 727, character 2
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 20823
Dae Jaweon: page 1137, character 1
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1099, character 10
Unihan data for U+738B
Unihan data for U+2F929

Chinese

simp. and trad.		王
alternative forms		𠙻

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 王

Shang

Western Zhou

Spring and Autumn

Warring States

Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)

Liushutong (compiled in Ming)

Bronze inscriptions

Oracle bone script

Bronze inscriptions

Chu slip and silk script

Qin slip script

Ancient script

Small seal script

Transcribed ancient scripts

**Bronze inscriptions**








				b00446	b00447
b00448	b00449	b00451	b00453	b00454

**Small seal script**
s00099	s00100

References:

Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation),
which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including:

Shuowen Jiezi (small seal),
Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions),
Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and
Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Characters in the same phonetic series (王) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
皇	*ɡʷaːŋ
惶	*ɡʷaːŋ
遑	*ɡʷaːŋ
堭	*ɡʷaːŋ
煌	*ɡʷaːŋ
餭	*ɡʷaːŋ
騜	*ɡʷaːŋ
艎	*ɡʷaːŋ
隍	*ɡʷaːŋ
湟	*ɡʷaːŋ
徨	*ɡʷaːŋ
篁	*ɡʷaːŋ
蝗	ɡʷaːŋ, ɡʷraːŋ, *ɡʷraːŋs
凰	*ɡʷaːŋ
偟	*ɡʷaːŋ
媓	*ɡʷaːŋ
韹	ɡʷaːŋ, ɡʷraːŋ
葟	*ɡʷaːŋ
皝	*ɡʷaːŋʔ
汪	qʷaːŋ, qʷaːŋs, *qʷaŋʔ
尪	*qʷaːŋ
迋	kʷaŋʔ, kʰʷaŋ, ɡʷaŋ, ɢʷaŋs
逛	*kʷaŋʔ
誑	kʷaŋs, ɡʷaŋ, *kʷaŋs
匡	*kʰʷaŋ
筐	*kʰʷaŋ
框	*kʰʷaŋ
眶	*kʰʷaŋ
誆	kʰʷaŋ, ɡʷaŋs
邼	*kʰʷaŋ
恇	*kʰʷaŋ
劻	*kʰʷaŋ
洭	*kʰʷaŋ
軭	kʰʷaŋ, ɡʷaŋ
狂	ɡʷaŋ, ɡʷaŋs
軖	*ɡʷaŋ
鵟	*ɡʷaŋ
俇	*ɡʷaŋʔ
王	ɢʷaŋ, ɢʷaŋs
蚟	*ɢʷaŋ
彺	*ɢʷaŋ
旺	*ɢʷaŋs
諻	*qʰʷraːŋ
喤	qʰʷraːŋ, ɡʷraːŋ
瑝	*ɡʷraːŋ
鍠	*ɡʷraːŋ
揘	*ɡʷaŋ

The traditional interpretation is that the three horizontal strokes represent Heaven, Man and Earth. The vertical stroke is the king, the one who connects them together. Older representation of the character shows a man like 大 or 天 above a horizontal stroke.

The modern interpretation is that the character is a pictogram (象形) of either an axe or a crown, one of two symbols of the king's power. A ceremonial axe was kept near the throne, and was used for performing rituals in ancient China.

Compare the unrelated 玉 (“jade”) and 主 (“master”).

Etymology 1

Uncertain. There are many proposed etymologies:

Sagart and Baxter (2009) compare it to Tibetan གོང་མ (gong ma, “superior one”).
Schuessler (2007) compares it to Tibetan དབང (dbang, “strength, power”) and Burmese အန် (an, “strength, power”), which derive from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *d-baŋ (“strength, power”). However, reconstructing the Old Chinese as *waŋ, he notes the mismatch between Old Chinese *w- vs. Tibetan *b- (unless *dw- can become db-; for possible *b- ~ * w- variation, see 花). He also compares it to Proto-Northern Naga *waŋ (“chief”).
Schuessler (2007) alternatively proposes a connection to Old Khmer vāṅ, vaṅ (modern Khmer វាំង (veăng), “royal palace”), which he considers to be cognate with Khmer ហ្លួង (luŏng, “king”). This is perhaps supported by a bronze inscription where 王 refers to a place, not the Zhou king (Shaughnessy, 1991). The semantic shift from "palace" to "king" parallels Egyptian pr ꜥꜣ (“pharaoh”, literally “palace”), from pr (“house”) + ꜥꜣ (“great, big”). The connection to the Old Khmer word would thus relate it to Proto-Mon-Khmer *waŋ ~ *waaŋ (“enclosure; to go round”), which is part of a larger Austroasiatic word family, including 營 (OC *ɢʷeŋ) and 環 (OC *ɡʷraːn). Bodman (1980) connects 王 with 皇 (OC *ɡʷaːŋ, “sovereign”), which Schuessler (2007) connects to this word family.
Speculations exist about its connection to 尪 (OC *qʷaːŋ, “lame, crippled”) and 狂 (OC *ɡʷaŋ, “mad”), based on theories about the connection between ancient Chinese kingship and shamanism (Keightley, 1995).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): wáng (wang²)
(Zhuyin): ㄨㄤˊ
(Chengdu, SP): wang²
(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): вон (von, I)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou, Jyutping): wong⁴
(Taishan, Wiktionary): vong³
Gan (Wiktionary): uong⁴
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): vòng
(Meixian, Guangdong): vong²
Jin (Wiktionary): von¹
Min Bei (KCR): uâng
Min Dong (BUC): uòng
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): ông
(Teochew, Peng'im): uang⁵ / hêng⁵
Wu (Wiktionary): hhuaan (T3)
Xiang (Wiktionary): uan²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wáng
  - Zhuyin: ㄨㄤˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wáng
  - Wade–Giles: wang²
  - Yale: wáng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wang
  - Palladius: ван (van)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɑŋ³⁵/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: wang²
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: uong
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /uaŋ²¹/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: вон (von, I)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /vɑŋ²⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: wong⁴
  - Yale: wòhng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: wong⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: wong⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɔːŋ²¹/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: vong³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /vɔŋ²²/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: uong⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /uɔŋ³⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: vòng
  - Hakka Romanization System: vongˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: vong²
  - Sinological IPA: /voŋ¹¹/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: vong²
  - Sinological IPA: /ʋɔŋ¹¹/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: von¹
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /vɒ̃¹¹/
Min Bei
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: uâng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /uaŋ³³/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: uòng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /uoŋ⁵³/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese, Singapore)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ông
  - Tâi-lô: ông
  - Phofsit Daibuun: oong
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɔŋ²³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Taipei, Singapore): /ɔŋ²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɔŋ¹³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: uang⁵ / hêng⁵
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: uâng / hêng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /uaŋ⁵⁵/, /heŋ⁵⁵/

Note: hêng5 - surname.

Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: hhuaan (T3)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɦɯɑ̃²³/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: uan²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /uan¹³/

Middle Chinese: /ɦʉɐŋ/

Rime
Character	王
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	云 (35)
Final (韻)	陽 (106)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	雨方切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦʉɐŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦʷiɐŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣiuɑŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦuaŋ/
Li Rong	/ɣiuaŋ/
Wang Li	/ɣĭwaŋ/
Bernard Karlgren	/iwaŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	wáng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wong⁴

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*ɢʷaŋ/
(Zhengzhang): /*ɢʷaŋ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	王
Reading #	1/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	wáng
Middle Chinese	‹ hjwang ›
Old Chinese	/*ɢʷaŋ/
English	king
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	王
Reading #	1/2
No.	12742
Phonetic component	王
Rime group	陽
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	王
Old Chinese	/*ɢʷaŋ/

Definitions

王

king; monarch
國王／国王 ― guówáng ― king (of a nation)
周成王 ― Zhōu Chéng Wáng ― King Cheng of Zhou
這位男孩被擁立為王。 [MSC, trad.]
这位男孩被拥立为王。 [MSC, simp.]
Zhè wèi nánhái bèi yōnglì wéi wáng. [Pinyin]
The boy was proclaimed king.
duke; prince
王侯 ― wánghóu ― nobles; aristocrats (literally, “princes and marquises”)
親王／亲王 ― qīnwáng ― prince
秦王李世民 ― Qín Wáng Lǐ Shìmín ― Li Shimin, the Prince of Qin
best or strongest of its kind
拳王 ― quánwáng ― boxing champion
百獸之王是獅子還是老虎？ [MSC, trad.]
百兽之王是狮子还是老虎？ [MSC, simp.]
Bǎishòu zhī wáng shì shīzǐ háishì lǎohǔ? [Pinyin]
Is the lion or the tiger the king of beasts?
chief; head; ringleader
擒賊先擒王／擒贼先擒王 ― qínzéixiānqínwáng ― to defeat the enemy, first catch their chief
(chess) king
(graph theory) king (a vertex in a directed graph which can reach every other vertex via a path with a length of at most 2)
任意競賽圖都有一個王。 [MSC, trad.]
任意竞赛图都有一个王。 [MSC, simp.]
Rènyì jìngsàitú dōu yǒu yī ge wáng. [Pinyin]
In every tournament there exists a king.
^† grand; great
^† (of feudal monarchs) to see the emperor
a surname: Wang; Wong; Ong; Heng
王勃 ― Wáng Bó ― Wang Bo (Tang dynasty poet)
王延政 ― Wáng Yánzhèng ― Wang Yanzheng (Emperor of Min)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (王):

→ Japanese: 王(おう) (ō)
→ Okinawan: 王 (をー) (wō)
→ Korean: 왕(王) (wang)
→ Vietnamese: vương (王)

Others:

→ Classical Mongolian: ᠸᠠᠩ (waŋ)
- Mongolian: ᠸᠠᠩ (waŋ) / ван (van)
→ English: Wang (via Mandarin), Wong (via Cantonese), Ong (via Hokkien), Heng (via Teochew)
→ Manchu: ᠸᠠᠩ (wang)
→ Tagalog: Ong (via Hokkien), Wong (via Cantonese), Wang (via Mandarin)
→ Thai: อ๋อง (ɔ̌ng) (via Hokkien)
→ Zhuang: vuengz

Compounds

Derived terms

王后 (queen)
王子 (prince)
王座 (throne)
帝王 (regal)
棋王 (chess champion)
二帝三王
名王
孤王
一字王
恥居王後
天王巨星
小王爺
乃心王室
小霸王
后王
後王
國王
張王李趙
女王蜂
天王
三冠王
女王
哲王
八王日
土霸王
冥王
冥王星
孱王
帝王之道
地藏王
劃地為王
君王
公子王孫
大王
四大天王
尊王攘夷
侯王
天王老子
大王椰子
吹牛大王
八王之亂
富比王侯
太王
二朝王醮
不動明王
反王
十殿閻王
三王
天王星
天壤王郎
先王
不犯王法
孩子王
內聖外王
南面稱王
南面為王
小王子
勤王
天王殿
二王
王霸
王田
目無王法
東王公
王喬
神聊大王
海王星
梵王宮
王業
百谷王
王虺
明王
王公大人
曳裾王門
王八羔子
稱王封后
王蓮
王師
王鮪
木王
燒王船
灶王爺
王牌
稱王稱帝
王法

王爺
擒賊擒王
王女
王老五
王命
王命旗牌
淨飯王
果王
托塔天王
王孫公子
猢猻王
王朝
牛魔王
王化
相王
王府
王公
稱王稱霸
王冠
秦王構石
空中霸王
猢猻大王
王者香
王公貴戚
王庭
王者
王道
王祥臥冰
祭王爺
活閻王
王貢彈冠
盛王
百花王
百獸之王
白馬王子
白飯王
王儲
白馬王
文王課
王人
王妃
王瓜
王公貴人
王氣
王餘魚
王跡
王謝
王者師
王考
王綱
王畿
王留
王父
王水
王母蟠桃
王母娘娘
王母
王條
王族
王敦擊壺
王度
王宮
王室
王官
王孫
王子晉
王子喬
王城
王國
王喬騎鶴
王八辮兒
王八蛋
王八
王侯將相
王佐之才
王位
敝屣王侯
活捉王魁
牛皮大王
王制
無冕王
法王
王侯
混世魔王
王吉

海龍王
空王
沒王法
王事
百王
王建
猴孫王
王漿
昭王墜屨
黑王相公
蜂王乳
錢王射潮
霸王別姬
賊王八
霸王鞭
閻王老子
見閻王
素王
老王賣瓜
馬明王
花王
霸王悲歌
馬王
蜂王
龍王
齊王捨牛
霸王略
西王母
鳥王
魔王夜叉
魔王
童天王
藥王菩薩
謀王圖霸
草頭大王
馬王堆
聚寶尊王
越王嘗蓼
輪王
跳灶王
霸王風月
霸王卸甲
霸王
閻羅王
閻王帳
陸王之學
阿育王
閻王爺
閻王殿
郡王
舉王
轉輪聖王
藥王
鍾王
親王
閻王
覺王
朱王堡
龍王廟
王子店
王家橋
王海
王義貞
劉王
王爺府
王灘
王廟
張王
王集
王老莊
王大橋
王寨
孫王營
王店
王家畈
龍王埡
岱王溝
王莊
王嶺
王商
王英
成者為王，敗者為寇
禹王
王不見王
外王內帝

Etymology 2

王 (OC *ɢʷaŋ) with a denominalizing *-s suffix (Schuessler, 2007; Baxter and Sagart, 2014).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): wàng (wang⁴)
(Zhuyin): ㄨㄤˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): wong⁶
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): ōng
(Teochew, Peng'im): uang⁶

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wàng
  - Zhuyin: ㄨㄤˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wàng
  - Wade–Giles: wang⁴
  - Yale: wàng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wanq
  - Palladius: ван (van)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɑŋ⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: wong⁶
  - Yale: wohng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: wong⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: wong⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɔːŋ²²/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ōng
  - Tâi-lô: ōng
  - Phofsit Daibuun: ong
  - IPA (Xiamen): /ɔŋ²²/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /ɔŋ⁴¹/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɔŋ²²/
  - IPA (Taipei): /ɔŋ³³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɔŋ³³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: uang⁶
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: uăng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /uaŋ³⁵/

Middle Chinese: /ɦʉɐŋ^H/

Rime
Character	王
Reading #	2/2
Initial (聲)	云 (35)
Final (韻)	陽 (106)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	于放切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦʉɐŋ^H/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦʷiɐŋ^H/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣiuɑŋ^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦuaŋ^H/
Li Rong	/ɣiuaŋ^H/
Wang Li	/ɣĭwaŋ^H/
Bernard Karlgren	/iwaŋ^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	wàng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wong⁶

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*ɢʷaŋ-s/
(Zhengzhang): /*ɢʷaŋs/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	王
Reading #	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	wàng
Middle Chinese	‹ hjwang^H ›
Old Chinese	/*ɢʷaŋ-s/
English	be king
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	王
Reading #	2/2
No.	12746
Phonetic component	王
Rime group	陽
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	迋
Old Chinese	/*ɢʷaŋs/

Definitions

王

^† to reign; to rule, to be a king
- 不以王天下為己處顯。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  不以王天下为己处显。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE
  Bù yǐ wàng tiānxià wèi jǐ chù xiǎn. [Pinyin]
  He would not desire to rule over the whole world as his own private distinction.
^† Alternative form of 旺 (wàng, “flourishing; prosperous”).
- 神雖王，不善也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  神虽王，不善也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE
  Shén suī wàng, bù shàn yě. [Pinyin]
  Though its spirit would (there) enjoy a royal abundance, it does not think (such confinement) good.

Compounds

Derived terms from 王

王天下

王長／王长

References

“王”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學／香港中文大学 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
“Entry #1229”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (in Chinese and Min Nan), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2011.

Japanese

Kanji

王

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

Go-on: おう (ō, Jōyō)^{←わう (wau, historical)}
Kan-on: おう (ō, Jōyō)^{←わう (wau, historical)}
Kun: おおきみ (ōkimi, 王)^{←おほきみ (ofokimi, historical)}; きみ (kimi, 王)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
王
おう Grade: 1
on’yomi

/wau/ → /wɔː/ → */woː/ → /oː/

From Middle Chinese 王 (MC ɦʉɐŋ).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) おー [óꜜò] (Atamadaka – [1])[1][2]
IPA^(key): [o̞ː]

Noun

王(おう) • (ō) ^{←わう (wau)^?}

a king, especially one who is not East Asian or was East Asian in pre-imperial times; in China and Vietnam, generally a king before Qin Shi Huangdi who invented the title 皇帝 (kōtei, “huangdi; emperor”); in Korea, one of the many kings before the Korean Empire which was modeled after Japan's; in Japan, one of the rulers before Emperor Jinmu
越(えつ)王(おう)勾(こう)践(せん) ― Etsuō Kōsen ― King Goujian of Yue
an East Asian queen regnant
親(しん)魏(ぎ)倭(わ)王(おう) ― Shingi Waō ― the pro-Wei Queen of Wa
徴(ちょう) (女(じょ))王(おう) ― Chō (Jo)ō ― the Trưng Queen
善(ぜん)徳(とく) (女(じょ))王(おう) ― Zentoku (Jo)ō ― Queen Seondeok
a nobility title for a Chinese or Vietnamese prince, bestowed on one of the 皇帝 (kōtei, “huangdi; emperor”)'s adult sons, brothers, or nephews, especially as a coming-of-age title, generally comes with an estate ("principality"); compare 皇子 (ōji, “imperial princes”, especially pre-adult ones) and 公 (kō, “dukes”, an alternative used by certain dynasties)
武(ぶ)成(せい)王(おう) ― Busei Ō ― Prince Wucheng
興(こう)道(どう)王(おう) ― Kōdō Ō ― Prince Hưng Đạo
a Japanese prince's son (such princes include 親王 (shinnō) or 王 (ō) themselves)

Usage notes

An East Asian queen regnant (except in Korea) has the same title as a king, not specifically a “queen (regnant)” like in European languages. Similarly, an empress regnant has the same title as an emperor.

Affix

王(おう) • (ō) ^{←わう (wau)^?}

king

Derived terms

王(おう)子(じ) (ōji)
王(おう)女(じょ) (ōjo)
王(おう)女(にょ) (ōnyo)
女(じょ)王(おう) (joō), 女(じょう)王(おう) (jōō)
親(しん)王(のう) (shinnō)
帝(てい)王(おう) (teiō)
女(にょ)王(おう) (nyoō)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
王
こきし Grade: 1
irregular

Kanji in this term
王
こにきし Grade: 1
irregular

Alternative spelling
国主

From Old Japanese, derived from Baekje 鞬吉支 (*k(j)ənkilci).

Noun

王(コニキシ) or 王(コキシ) • (konikishi or kokishi)

(archaic) an ancient Korean king
百済(くだらの)王(こにきし) ― Kudara no Konikishi ― King of Baekje

References

2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 王 (MC ɦʉɐŋ).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448	ᅌᅪᇰ (Yale: ngwàng)
Middle Korean
Text	Eumhun
Text	*Gloss (hun)*	Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527	님〯굼〮 (Yale: nǐmkwúm)	와ᇰ (Yale: wàng)
Gwangju Cheonjamun, 1575	긔ᄌᆞ (Yale: kuyco)	왕 (Yale: wang)

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [wa̠ŋ]
Phonetic hangul: [왕]

Hanja

Wikisource王 (eumhun 임금 왕 (imgeum wang))

Hanja form^? of 왕 (“king; monarch”).

Compounds

왕국 (王國, wangguk)
왕관 (王冠, wanggwan)
왕비 (王妃, wangbi)
왕조 (王朝, wangjo)
왕정 (王政, wangjeong)
왕권 (王權, wanggwon)
왕족 (王族, wangjok)
왕좌 (王座, wangjwa)
왕궁 (王宮, wanggung)

References

국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Okinawan

Kanji

王

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

On: をー (wō)
Kun: ちみ (chimi, 王)

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 王 (MC ɦʉɐŋ).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /(ʷ)oː/

Noun

王 (hiragana をー, rōmaji wō)

a king
an East Asian queen regnant
an East Asian sovereign prince

Usage notes

An East Asian queen regnant (except in Korea) has the same title as a king, not specifically a “queen (regnant)” like in European languages. Similarly, an empress regnant has the same title as an emperor.

Affix

王 (hiragana をー, rōmaji wō)

king

Derived terms

王 (をー)子 (じ) (wōji)
王 (をー)妃 (ふぃ) (wōfi)
国 (くく)王 (をー) (kukuwō)

Old Japanese

Etymology

From Baekje 鞬吉支 (*k(j)ə-n kici).

Noun

王 (*ko₂niki₁si) (kana こにきし)

an ancient Korean king

Descendants

Japanese: 王 (konikishi, kokishi), in modern Japanese dictionaries

Vietnamese

Han character

王: Hán Việt readings: vương (雨(vũ)方(phương)切(thiết))[1][2][3][4][5], vượng[5]
王: Nôm readings: vương[1][2][3][4][5][6], vướng[1][7][5]

chữ Hán form of vương (“king”).
chữ Hán form of Vương (“surname; male given name”).
Nôm form of vướng (“to be entangled in; to be involved in”).
chữ Hán form of vượng (“to reign”).

Compounds

王家 (vương gia)
王后 (vương hậu)
王國 (vương quốc)
王朝 (vương triều)
王子 (vương tử)
海王星 (Hải Vương tinh)
女王 (nữ vương)
封王 (phong vương)
國王 (quốc vương)

References

Nguyễn (2014).
Nguyễn et al. (2009).
Trần (2004).
Bonet (1899).
Génibrel (1898).
Taberd & Pigneau de Béhaine (1838).
Hồ (1976).

[DJR-1] 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-2] 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN

[tdcndg-3] Nguyễn (2014).

[tdcntd-4] Nguyễn et al. (2009).

[gdhn-5] Trần (2004).

[bonet-6] Bonet (1899).

[genibrel-7] Génibrel (1898).

[taberd-8] Taberd & Pigneau de Béhaine (1838).

[btcn-9] Hồ (1976).