Chinese character for queen: 女王 (nǚwáng)
The Chinese word for queen is 女王 (nǚwáng). It means a queen who reigns in her own right, literally 'woman king'. A king's wife is called 王后 (wánghòu).
How 女王 is built
女 (nǚ) is a pictograph of a kneeling woman with arms crossed. 王 (wáng) has three lines joined by a vertical stroke, traced by scholars to a ceremonial axe of royal power and traditionally read, as a memory aid, as the one who links heaven, humanity and earth. Together, 女王 is a woman who is king: a queen. Both characters are identical in simplified and traditional Chinese.
女 nǚ · female
女 is not built from smaller parts; it is written with 3 strokes.
Origin hint: A woman turned to the side (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
王 wáng · king
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 土tǔ — earth
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 十 — ten
Origin hint: A man 十 bridging heaven and earth (both 一) (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 女王 is used
Other ways to say queen
- 王后 wánghòu — queen consort, the wife of a king
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 女王 is identical in both scripts; choose 王后 only if you mean a king's wife.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for queen?
女王 (nǚwáng) means “queen (female monarch)”.
How do you pronounce 女王?
女王 is pronounced nǚwáng.