sensei

See also: -sensei

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛnseɪ/

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

Synonyms

• (martial arts instructor): sifu, shifu

Translations

martial arts instructor

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

  Cantonese: 師傅／师傅 (si¹ fu^6-2), 师傅 (si¹ fu⁶, si¹ fu²)

  Mandarin: 師傅／师傅 (zh), 师傅 (zh) (shīfu)

  Min Nan: 師傅／师傅 (zh-min-nan), 师傅 (sai-hū)

• Finnish: mestari (fi)
• French: sensei (fr) m
• German: Sensei m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: σενσέι (el) m (senséi)
• Indonesian: sensei
• Japanese: 先生 (ja) (せんせい, sensei)
• Korean: 선생 (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 m

a Japanese teacher

• French: sensei (fr) m
• German: Sensei m
• Indonesian: sensei
• Japanese: 先生 (ja) (せんせい, sensei)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Persian: سنسی (sensey)
• Portuguese: sensei (pt) m
• Russian: сэнсэ́й (ru) m (sɛnsɛ́j)

Anagrams

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

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 先生 (せんせい sensei).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛn.sɛj/

Noun

sensei m (plural senseis)

1. sensei (martial arts instructor)

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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”).

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 of Indonesia, 2016.

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Japanese

Romanization

sensei

1. Rōmaji transcription of せんせい

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Palauan

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 先生 (せんせい sensei).

Noun

sensei

1. teacher

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Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 先生 (sensei).

Noun

sensei m (plural senseis)

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

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Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 先生 (sensei).

Noun

sensei m (plural senseis)

1. sensei (martial arts instructor)