diff --git a/babel/messages/mofile.py b/babel/messages/mofile.py
@@ -181,7 +181,8 @@ def write_mo(fileobj: SupportsWrite[bytes], catalog: Catalog, use_fuzzy: bool =
         else:
             msgid = message.id.encode(catalog.charset)
             msgstr = message.string.encode(catalog.charset)
-        if message.context:
+        # 2026-10-10: An empty context differs from an absent context.
+        if message.context is not None:
             msgid = b'\x04'.join([message.context.encode(catalog.charset), msgid])
         offsets.append((len(ids), len(msgid), len(strs), len(msgstr)))
         ids += msgid + b'\x00'

diff --git a/babel/messages/pofile.py b/babel/messages/pofile.py
@@ -682,7 +682,8 @@ def _format_conflict(key: str | tuple[str, str], conflicts: list[ConflictInfo],
 
     def _format_message(message, prefix=''):
         if isinstance(message.id, (list, tuple)):
-            if message.context:
+            # 2026-10-10: Preserve explicitly empty contexts.
+            if message.context is not None:
                 yield f"{prefix}msgctxt {normalize(message.context, prefix=prefix, width=width)}\n"
             yield f"{prefix}msgid {normalize(message.id[0], prefix=prefix, width=width)}\n"
             yield f"{prefix}msgid_plural {normalize(message.id[1], prefix=prefix, width=width)}\n"
@@ -694,7 +695,8 @@ def _format_message(message, prefix=''):
                     string = ''
                 yield f"{prefix}msgstr[{idx:d}] {normalize(string, prefix=prefix, width=width)}\n"
         else:
-            if message.context:
+            # 2026-10-10: Preserve explicitly empty contexts.
+            if message.context is not None:
                 yield f"{prefix}msgctxt {normalize(message.context, prefix=prefix, width=width)}\n"
             yield f"{prefix}msgid {normalize(message.id, prefix=prefix, width=width)}\n"
             yield f"{prefix}msgstr {normalize(message.string or '', prefix=prefix, width=width)}\n"

diff --git a/tests/messages/test_mofile.py b/tests/messages/test_mofile.py
@@ -104,3 +104,26 @@ def test_read_mo_decodes_message_context() -> None:
     assert message.context == 'ほげ'
     assert message.string == 'åäöÅÄÖ'
     assert not catalog.get('x')  # Not without the context
+
+
+def test_empty_message_context():
+    # 2026-10-10: Empty contexts must remain distinct from absent contexts.
+    catalog = Catalog()
+    for context, label in [(None, 'plain'), ('', 'empty'), ('menu', 'menu')]:
+        catalog.add('foo', label, context=context)
+        catalog.add(('item', 'items'), (label + ' one', label + ' many'), context=context)
+    buf = BytesIO()
+    mofile.write_mo(buf, catalog)
+    buf.seek(0)
+    restored = mofile.read_mo(buf)
+    assert len(restored) == 6
+    for context, label in [(None, 'plain'), ('', 'empty'), ('menu', 'menu')]:
+        assert restored.get('foo', context=context).string == label
+        assert restored.get('item', context=context).string == [label + ' one', label + ' many']
+    buf.seek(0)
+    translations = Translations(fp=buf)
+    assert translations.gettext('foo') == 'plain'
+    assert translations.pgettext('', 'foo') == 'empty'
+    assert translations.pgettext('menu', 'foo') == 'menu'
+    assert translations.ngettext('item', 'items', 2) == 'plain many'
+    assert translations.npgettext('', 'item', 'items', 2) == 'empty many'
diff --git a/tests/messages/test_pofile.py b/tests/messages/test_pofile.py
@@ -177,3 +177,21 @@ def test_issue_1134(case: str, abort_invalid: bool):
         output = pofile.read_po(buf)
         assert len(output) == 1
         assert output["foo"].string in ((''), ('', ''))
+
+
+# 2026-10-10: PO roundtrips must preserve empty singular and plural contexts.
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('pluralizable', [False, True])
+def test_empty_message_context(pluralizable):
+    catalog = Catalog()
+    msgid = ('foo', 'foos') if pluralizable else 'foo'
+    for context, label in [(None, 'plain'), ('', 'empty'), ('menu', 'menu')]:
+        translation = (label + ' one', label + ' many') if pluralizable else label
+        catalog.add(msgid, translation, context=context)
+    buf = BytesIO()
+    pofile.write_po(buf, catalog)
+    buf.seek(0)
+    restored = pofile.read_po(buf)
+    assert len(restored) == 3
+    for context, label in [(None, 'plain'), ('', 'empty'), ('menu', 'menu')]:
+        translation = (label + ' one', label + ' many') if pluralizable else label
+        assert restored.get('foo', context=context).string == translation