🌏 Region(s): Honshu (Standard)
せんせい【先生】 : sensei | define meaning
sensei
Definition
Honorific Noun, Suffix
- (Teaching) Teacher; instructor; (As a title) Mr, Miss, Mrs, Ms
- すうがくのせんせいがきます【数学の先生が来ます】
suugaku no sensei ga kimasu
"The math teacher is coming" - かれはただすいえいのせんせいです【彼はただ水泳の先生です】
kare wa tada suiei no sensei desu
"He is merely a swimming instructor"
- すうがくのせんせいがきます【数学の先生が来ます】
- (Post-secondary education) Professor; (As a title) Mr, Miss, Mrs, Ms; (US) (With a doctorate) Dr.
- (Medicine) Doctor
- (Martial arts) Instructor; teacher; master; sensei
Etymology
Cognate to Kagoshima せせ sese; Okinawan しんしー shinshii; and standard Japanese せんせい【先生】 sensei "teacher, instructor, professor, doctor, master". Also cognate to the Sino-Korean term 선생 seonsaeng "teacher". Ultimately from Chinese 【先生】 "teacher; mister; doctor" (cf. Mandarin xiānshēng; Cantonese sin1 saang1; Hakka sîn-sâng; Min Nan sian-siⁿ, sin-seⁿ and sian-seⁿ; Wu xi san), itself a compound of 【先】 "before; ahead; previous" and 【生】 "to be born" (i.e. one who was born before).
Notes
The word せんせい【先生】 sensei is used as a term of respect and humility, and so it is generally only used when referring to others. When talking about one's own profession, use other words like きょうし【教師】 kyoushi "teacher" or いし【医師】 ishi "doctor".
意味：せんせい【先生】