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
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bú-sū / bú-sǐr

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: wǔshì
    • Zhuyin: ㄨˇ ㄕˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: wǔshìh
    • Wade–Giles: wu³-shih⁴
    • Yale: wǔ-shr̀
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wuushyh
    • Palladius: уши (uši)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /u²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: mou⁵ si⁶
    • Yale: móuh sih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mou⁵ si⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: mou⁵ xi⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mou̯¹³ siː²²/
    • Homophones:

      edit edit 冇事 武士 獅虎／狮虎

• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General 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

(deprecated template usage) 武士

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

Synonyms

• (warrior):

(deprecated template usage)

• 健兒／健儿 (jiàn'ér)
• 勇士 (yǒngshì)
• 壯士／壮士 (zhuàngshì)
• 戰士／战士 (zhànshì)
• 武人 (wǔrén)
• 虎賁／虎贲 (hǔbēn) (archaic)
• 鬥士／斗士 (dòushì)

 

• (soldier):

(deprecated template usage)

• 兵人 (bīngrén) (literary)
• 兵仔 (Hakka, Hokkien)
• 兵勇 (bīngyǒng) (dated)
• 兵卒 (bīngzú) (dated)
• 兵員／兵员 (bīngyuán)
• 兵士 (bīngshì)
• 兵跤仔 (Hokkien, dated)
• 士人 (shìrén) (archaic)
• 士兵 (shìbīng)
• 士卒 (shìzú) (archaic)
• 大兵 (dàbīng) (dated, sometimes derogatory)
• 師徒／师徒 (shītú) (Classical Chinese)
• 戰士／战士 (zhànshì)
• 旌旗 (jīngqí) (figurative, literary)
• 武人 (wǔrén)
• 武夫 (wǔfū) (literary)
• 營兵／营兵 (Hokkien, dated)
• 甲士 (jiǎshì) (archaic)
• 軍人／军人 (jūnrén)
• 軍士／军士 (jūnshì)

 

Derived terms

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
武	士
ぶ Grade: 5	し Grade: 5
kan'on

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

Noun

武(ぶ)士(し) • (bushi) 

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

      武士(ぶし)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

• 武士(ぶし)気質(かたぎ) (bushi-katagi)
• 武士(ぶし)詞(ことば) (bushi-kotoba)
• 武士団(ぶしだん) (bushidan)
• 武士道(ぶしどう) (bushidō)
• 武士(ぶし)の商法(しょうほう) (bushi no shōhō)
• 古武士(こぶし) (kobushi)

Proverbs

• 武士(ぶし)に二言(にごん)なし (bushi ni nigon nashi)
• 武士(ぶし)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)は武士(ぶし) (hana wa sakuragi hito wa bushi)

Proper noun

武(ぶ)士(し) • (Bushi) 

1. a place name
2. a surname

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
武	士
Grade: 5	Grade: 5
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).

Noun

武士(もののふ) • (mononofu) 

1. a person who serves a lord or a master
   1. samurai
   2. warrior
   • 1987 March 20 [1987 February 20], Fujiko Fujio, “超兵器ガ壱號 [Super-Weapon Guh Mk. Ⅰ]”, in カンビュセスの籤(くじ) [Cambyses’s Drawing] (藤子不二雄 ＳＦ全短編; 1), 2nd edition, volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Chuokoronsha, →ISBN, 第一章, page 99:

     「忠臣ニハ二君仕エズ」ト海堂サン教エタデショ　今デハ日本ガ私ノ祖国　不名誉ナ追放ヨリ名誉アル死ヲ選ビマス　武士(モノノフ)ノ死ニザマヲ見トドケテクダサイ

     “Chūshin ni wa nikun tsukaezu” to Kaidō-san oshieta desho Ima de wa Nippon ga watashi no sokoku Fumeiyo na tsuihō yori meiyo aru shi o ebimasu Mononofu no shi ni zama o mitodokete kudasai

     Kaidō-san taught me that “royal servants do not serve two masters”, right? Japan is now my motherland. I would rather choose honored death over dishonored exile. Please watch me die like a samurai.

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: 5

武(たけ)士(し) • (Takeshi) 

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

武士(たけひと) • (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

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
武	士

Noun

武士

1. chữ Hán form of võ sĩ (“combat sport contender; warrior; samurai”).

Derived terms

• 武士道 (võ sĩ đạo)