princess · consort

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 妃 refers to a royal consort, such as a queen; its on-reading is ひ.
• Basic usage: 妃(ひ) can mean a queen or empress, while 王妃(おうひ) means a king's consort.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• The standalone word and the compound with 王
  • 王の妃 and 王妃 can both refer to a queen consort. Initial 王 in 王妃 identifies whose consort she is, and 妃 is read ひ in both expressions.