皇 (huáng) is a Chinese character meaning “emperor”. It is written from 白 (white; plain) and 王 (king), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “emperor”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
白 + 王
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（白 5 画 + 王 4 画 = 9 画）
Memory aid
A king (王) crowned with something bright and white (白): not just any king, but the emperor above all kings.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 皇后huáng hòuempress; queen consort皇 = huáng
- 女皇nǚ huángempress regnant; queen皇 = huáng
- 皇冠huáng guāncrown皇 = huáng
- 皇帝huáng dìemperor皇 = huáng
Go deeper
All readings
emperor
emperor; sovereign; imperial
君主；皇帝，也指与皇室有关的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 皇后huáng hòuempress; queen consort皇 = huáng
- 女皇nǚ huángempress regnant; queen皇 = huáng
- 皇冠huáng guāncrown皇 = huáng
- 皇帝huáng dìemperor皇 = huáng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 皇 mean?
皇 (huáng) means emperor; sovereign; imperial.
How do you pronounce 皇?
It is pronounced huáng.
What parts is 皇 made of?
白 (white; plain) and 王 (king), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（白 5 画 + 王 4 画 = 9 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 皇 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 皇?
白. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 皇?
Common ones are 皇后 and 女皇. The reading of 皇 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.