A marquess (pronounce /ˈmɑrkwɪs/) or marquis (/mɑrˈkiː/) is a nobleman of hereditary rank in various European monarchies and some of their colonies. The term is also used to render equivalent oriental styles as in imperial China and Japan. In the British peerage it ranks below a duke and above an earl. On the continent it is usually equivalent where a cognate title exists. A woman with the rank of marquess, or the wife of a marquess, is a marchioness, (pronounced /ˌmɑrʃəˈnɛs/) or marquise (pronounced /mɑrˈkiːz/).