朕 means “imperial we”

ちん · chin

Also: majestic plural

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

チン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 10 strokes

The story

月, a boat (舟) in the oldest forms, and 关: picture the emperor alone on his barge, the one person who says "We". 朕 was the word the emperors of China and Japan used for themselves, as in the opening of the Rescript on Education, 朕惟フニ.

Used in 朕 (chin, We, the imperial first person)

More from Emperors & Nobles

• 謁 audience (with royalty)
• 爵 peerage
• 皇 emperor
• 貴 precious
• 帝 emperor
• 陛 majesty
• 姫 princess
• 后 empress
• 伯 count
• 陵 imperial tomb
• 妃 queen consort
• 勅 imperial order

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.