先生

Cantonese

simpl. and trad.

先生

Noun

先生 (traditional and simplified, jyutping sin1 saang1)

1. mister, sir
2. husband (polite)
3. (dated) Doctor; Dr

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
先	生

Noun

先生 (hiragana せんせい, romaji sensei)

1. one who was born earlier; an elder
2. one who excels at a subject; a scholar
3. one who teaches; a teacher or professor

Usage notes

This is a term of respect, often reserved only for speaking about others, and considered somewhat impolite (immodest) to use when referring to oneself. Instead, the term 教師 (きょうし, kyoushi, “teacher”) is considered more modest in referring to oneself.

Derived terms

• 大先生 (ōsensei)

Suffix

先生 (hiragana せんせい, romaji -sensei)

1. a title used after the name of teachers, doctors, lawyers, or certain other professionals

See also

• 師匠 (ししょう, shishō) – a master, a teacher
• 医師 (いし, ishi) – a medical doctor
• 教師 (きょうし, kyoushi) – a teacher
• 大学の教師 – a professor
• 先輩 (せんぱい, senpai, “senior colleague, senior student”)

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Mandarin

simpl. and trad.

先生

Etymology

From 先 (xiān, Old Chinese *sɯːn(s), "before, ahead") and 生 (shēng, OC *shleːŋ, *sreŋs, "to be born"), i.e. "that who was born earlier". Attested in Shijing ("first child"), Yili ("elder brother"), Classic of Rites ("teacher"), Mengzi ("a knowledgeable elder").

Pronunciation

• (Beijing) IPA: /ɕʂ/

  audio

  (file)

Noun

先生 (traditional and simplified, Pinyin xiānsheng)

1. (Beginning Mandarin) mister, sir

   王先生来了 (Wáng xiānsheng láile) IPA: /ˈu̯ɑŋ˧˥ɕi̯ɛn˥ʂɤŋ˨ˈlaɪ̯˧˥lə˧/ (Mr Wang came.)

2. husband (polite)
3. (dated) Doctor; Dr
   • 1918: Lu Xun, A Madman's Diary

     大哥說：「今天請何先生來，給你診一診。」

     My elder brother said, "Today, I've invited Dr. He to come and give you a check up."

References

• 2000, Shao, Jingmin (ed.), HSK Dictionary (HSK汉语水平考试词典) (in Mandarin/English), Shanghai: Huadong Teachers College Publishers, ISBN 7561720785:
• 2007, Hanyu Da Cidian 3.0 (in Mandarin), Hong Kong: Commercial Press, ISBN 9789620702778:

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Min Nan

simpl. and trad.

先生

Pronunciation

• (Quanzhou, Xiamen, Taipei) IPA: [ sɪɛn˧˧ɕĩ˥˥ ]
• (Zhangzhou) IPA: [ ɕɪn˧˧sẽ˥˥ ]

Noun

先生 (traditional and simplified, POJ sian-siⁿ or sin-seⁿ)

1. Mr.
2. gentleman; sir
3. teacher