Teikoku is the Japanese word for ’empire’, explained

What does “teikoku” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers use teikoku to mean an ’empire’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, video games, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I’m explaining this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’m explaining how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand teikoku more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “teikoku”
• Teikoku in kanji
  • How to say “empire” in Japanese
  • Another example of “teikoku”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “teikoku”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of teikoku.

• teikoku – 帝国 (ていこく) : a noun used to mean an ’empire’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Teikoku in kanji

The kanji expression of teikoku consists of the following two kanji characters:

• 帝 : a kanji character used to mean an ’emperor’ in Japanese.
• 国 : a kanji character used to mean a ‘country’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that teikoku literally means an ’emperor country’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meaning. An empire is often a country ruled by an emperor.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of teikoku through the detailed kanji check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of teikoku together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

How to say “empire” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun used to mean ‘she’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after kanojo to make its plural form, kanojo tachi, which means ‘they’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after kanojo tachi to make the subject in the sentence.
• kara – から : a case particle used to say where someone or something comes from. In the example, this is used after teikoku to say where they came from.
• ki – 来 (き) : one conjugation of the verb, kuru, which means ‘to come’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of the Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after ki to make its past tense form, ki ta.

This is a typical usage of teikoku. In this example, it works together with the case particle, kara, to mean ‘from the empire’ in Japanese.

Another example of “teikoku”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this is used in front of yowaku to emphasize its meaning.
• yowaku – 弱く (よわく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, yowai, which means ‘weak’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• nari – なり : one conjugation of the verb, naru, which means ‘to become’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• mashi – まし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, masu, which is used after a verb to make it polite. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

This is another example of teikoku. In this example, it works together with the binding particle, wa, to become the subject in the sentence. When we want to mean an ’empire’ in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of teikoku in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• teikoku – 帝国 (ていこく) : a noun used to mean an ’empire’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean an ’emperor country’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meaning. An empire is often a country ruled by an emperor.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.