How to say "reign" in Japanese

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  • 統治とうちJLPT N1approx.Common
    noun, suru verb, transitive verbCovers the sense of 'reign' as governing or ruling — the exercise of political control over a country or people. It focuses on the act of governing rather than the monarch's period on the throne.
    かつてサルタンが今日きょうのトルコを統治とうちしていた。↗
    Once the Sultan ruled over what today is Turkey.
  • 在位ざいいCommon
    noun, suru verb, intransitive verbCovers the sense of 'reign' as a monarch's time on the throne, viewed as a span or period. Use it for questions like how long a king's reign lasted, not for the governing itself.

Use 在位 when 'reign' means a monarch's time on the throne; use 統治 when it means governing or ruling over a territory or people.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese equivalents
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JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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