武士

Chinese

		martial; military	scholar; warrior; knight
simp. and trad. (武士)		武	士

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): wǔshì

  (Zhuyin): ㄨˇ ㄕˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): mou⁵ si⁶
• Min Nan (POJ): bú-sū / bú-sǐr

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: wǔshì
    • Zhuyin: ㄨˇ ㄕˋ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wuushyh
    • IPA ^(key): /u²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)
    • Jyutping: mou⁵ si⁶
    • Yale: móuh sih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mou⁵ si⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: mou⁵ xi⁶
    • IPA ^(key): /mou̯¹³ siː²²/
    • Homophones:

      edit edit 冇事 武士 獅虎／狮虎

• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, mainstream Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bú-sū
    • Tâi-lô: bú-sū
    • Phofsit Daibuun: bwsu
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /bu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ su³³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /bu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ su³³/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /bu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ su²²/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bú-sǐr
    • Tâi-lô: bú-sǐr
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /bu⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ sɯ²²/

Noun

武士

1. warrior; fighter; soldier
2. member of a powerful military caste (in medieval Europe or Japan); samurai
3. (historical) palace guard

Synonyms

• (soldier):

edit

• 兵仔 (Min Nan, Hakka)
• 兵卒 (bīngzú)
• 兵士 (bīngshì)
• 士兵 (shìbīng)
• 士卒 (shìzú) (archaic)

• 大兵 (dàbīng) (dated, sometimes derogatory)
• 戰士／战士 (zhànshì)
• 武夫 (wǔfū) (literary)
• 甲士 (jiǎshì) (archaic)
• 軍人／军人 (jūnrén)

Derived terms

• 圓桌武士／圆桌武士
• 武士刀 (wǔshìdāo)

• 武士道 (wǔshìdào)
• 鐵甲武士／铁甲武士

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Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
武	士
ぶ Grade: 5	し Grade: 4
on’yomi

From 伏 (bushi), found in terms such as 山伏 (yamabushi, “mountain hermit”) and 野伏 (nobushi, “hermit; brigand”). Fushi is the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, stem or continuative form) of 伏す (fusu, “to bow down, to prostrate”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

The kanji are ateji (当て字), first coined by Shinobu Orikuchi. However, 武士 itself is first attested in the Nara period.

Pronunciation

• On’yomi
  • (Tokyo) ぶ​し [búꜜshì] (Atamadaka – [1])
  • IPA^(key): [bɯ̟ᵝɕi]

Noun

武士 (hiragana ぶし, rōmaji bushi)

1. a person who serves a lord or a master
   1. samurai

      武 (ぶ)士 (し)は食 (く)わねど高楊 (たかよう)枝 (じ)

      bushi wa kuwanedo takayōji

      a samurai, even when he has not eaten, uses a toothpick like a lord

   2. warrior

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 武 (ぶ)士 (し)気質 (かたぎ) (bushi-katagi)
• 武 (ぶ)士 (し)詞 (ことば) (bushi-kotoba)
• 武 (ぶ)士 (し)団 (だん) (bushidan)
• 武 (ぶ)士 (し)道 (どう) (bushidō)
• 武 (ぶ)士 (し)の商 (しょう)法 (ほう) (bushi no shōhō)
• 古 (こ)武 (ぶ)士 (し) (kobushi)

Proverbs

• 武 (ぶ)士 (し)に二 (に)言 (ごん)なし (bushi ni nigon nashi)
• 武 (ぶ)士 (し)は相 (あい)身 (み)互 (たが)い (bushi wa aimitagai)
• 花 (はな)は桜 (さくら)木 (ぎ)人 (ひと)は武 (ぶ)士 (し) (hana wa sakuragi hito wa bushi)

Proper noun

武士 (hiragana ぶし, rōmaji Bushi)

1. a place name
2. a surname​.

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
武	士
Grade: 5	Grade: 4
Irregular

/mo₂no₂no₂be₁/ → */mo₂no₂no₂bu/ → */mo₂no₂no₂pu/ → /mononopu/ → /mononofu/

From Old Japanese.

From the 物部氏 (Mononobe-uji, “Mononobe clan”), by re-interpretation of the kun-reading of 部 (be) to the kanyōon reading of fu. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓).

Pronunciation

• (Irregular reading)
  • (Tokyo) ものの​ふ [mònónóꜜfù] (Nakadaka – [3])
  • IPA^(key): [mo̞no̞no̞ɸɯ̟ᵝ]

Noun

武士 (hiragana もののふ, rōmaji mononofu)

1. a person who serves a lord or a master
   1. samurai
   2. warrior
2. (historical) an official who served in the upper court in the pre-Heian period (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)

Derived terms

• 武士 (もののふ)の道 (みち) (mononofu no michi)

See also

• 物 (ものの)部 (べ) (Mononobe)

Etymology 3

Various nanori readings.

Proper noun

Kanji in this term
武	士
たけ Grade: 5	し Grade: 4

武士 (hiragana たけし, rōmaji Takeshi)

1. a place name
2. a surname​.
3. a male given name (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)

武士 (hiragana たけひと, rōmaji Takehito)

1. a male given name (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)

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Korean

Hanja in this term
武	士

Noun

武士 • (musa) (hangeul 무사)

1. Hanja form^? of 무사 (“warrior”).

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Vietnamese

Hán tự in this word
武	士

Han character

武士 (vũ sĩ, võ sĩ)

1. combat sport contender; judoka, karateka, boxer, etc.
2. warrior
3. samurai