sensei

See also: -sensei

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 先生(せんせい) (sensei, “teacher; elder”), from Middle Chinese 先生 (MC sen sraeng, “master, elder”), from 先 (MC sen, “earlier, first”) + 生 (MC sraeng, “born”). Compare modern Mandarin 先生 (xiānshēng, “Mr.”). Doublet of sinseh, from Hokkien 先生 (sin-seⁿ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛnseɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

sensei (plural sensei or senseis)

1. A martial arts instructor. Sensei of martial arts usually live and/or work at a dojo where they instruct their apprentices. A live-in apprentice is also called uchi-deshi.

   Synonyms: sifu, shifu

2. A Japanese (language) teacher (sometimes used as a suffix attached to the name of a teacher, principally in translations from Japanese).

Translations

martial arts instructor

• Arabic: مُدَرِّب (ar) m (mudarrib)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 師傅／师傅 (si¹ fu⁶, si¹ fu²)

  Hokkien: 師傅／师傅 (zh-min-nan) (sai-hū)

  Mandarin: 師傅／师傅 (zh) (shīfu, shīfù)

• Finnish: mestari (fi)
• French: sensei (fr) m
• German: Sensei m
• Greek: σενσέι (el) m (senséi)
• Indonesian: sensei
• Japanese: 先生 (ja) (せんせい, sensei)
• Korean: 선생(先生) (ko) (seonsaeng), 선생님 (ko) (seonsaengnim) (honorific)
• Persian: سنسی (sensey)
• Portuguese: sensei (pt) m
• Russian: сэнсэ́й (ru) m (sɛnsɛ́j), ма́стер (ru) m (máster), сенсе́й (ru) m (senséj)
• Spanish: sensei (es) m, senséi m (proper use of accent marks)

a Japanese teacher

• French: sensei (fr) m
• German: Sensei m
• Indonesian: sensei
• Japanese: 先生 (ja) (せんせい, sensei)
• Persian: سنسی (sensey)
• Portuguese: sensei (pt) m
• Russian: сэнсэ́й (ru) m (sɛnsɛ́j)

Anagrams

• Essien, Neises, Neisse, Nessie, Nieses, Sinese, in esse, insees, sees in, seines

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 先生 (sensei).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛn.sej/

Noun

sensei m (plural senseis)

1. sensei (martial arts instructor)

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 先生(せんせい) (sensei, “teacher; elder”), from Middle Chinese 先生 (sen-ʂænɡ, “master, elder”), from 先 (“earlier, first”) + 生 (“born”). Compare Min Nan 先生 (sin-seⁿ, “doctor, physician, teacher”). Doublet of sinse.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sen.sei/
• Hyphenation: sén‧séi

Noun

sensei (first-person possessive senseiku, second-person possessive senseimu, third-person possessive senseinya)

1. a martial arts instructor.
2. a Japanese (language) teacher.
3. a suffix attached to the name of a teacher (principally in translations from Japanese)

   Yamada-sensei

Related terms

• sinse

Further reading

• “sensei” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

Japanese

Romanization

sensei

1. Rōmaji transcription of せんせい

Palauan

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 先生 (せんせい sensei).

Noun

sensei

1. teacher

References

• sensei in Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary, at tekinged.com.
• sensei in Palauan-English Dictionary, at trussel2.com.
• sensei in Lewis S. Josephs, Edwin G. McManus, Masa-aki Emesiochel (1977) Palauan-English Dictionary, University Press of Hawaii, →ISBN, page 305.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 先生 (sensei).

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /sẽˈsej/ [sẽˈseɪ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /sẽˈsɐj/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /sẽˈsɐj/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /sẽˈsej/
  • (Central Portugal) IPA^(key): /sẽˈsej/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /sẽˈse/

• Hyphenation: sen‧sei

Noun

sensei m or f by sense (plural senseis)

1. sensei (martial arts instructor)
2. sensei (a Japanese teacher or master)

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 先生 (sensei).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsensei/ [ˈsẽn.sei̯]
  • Rhymes: -ensei
  • Syllabification: sen‧sei
• IPA^(key): /ˈsense/ [ˈsẽn.se]
  • Rhymes: -ense

Noun

sensei m (plural senseis)

1. sensei (martial arts instructor)