sensei
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sensei
- /ˈsɛnseɪ/
Rhymes with -ɛnseɪ
Where it comes from
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).
noun sensei · senseis
- A martial arts instructor; especially one for a Japanese martial art.
- A Japanese (language) teacher (sometimes used as a suffix attached to the name of a teacher, principally in translations from Japanese).
- A teacher, guide or mentor, in the context of Japan.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: master, counselor, teacher, dominus, marse, martial artist, aikidoka, instructor, tuhon, schoolmaster, instructress, instructee, guru, kendoka, apprentice, master craftsman
Translations
Every language
noun martial arts instructor
| Español | sensei, senséi |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 선생 seonsaeng, 선생님 seonsaengnim |
| 日本語 | 先生 sensei |
| 中文 | 師傅 /师傅 shīfu, shīfù |
| Português | sensei |
| Français | sensei |
| Deutsch | Sensei |
| Ελληνικά | σενσέι senséi |
| Русский | сэнсэ́й sɛnsɛ́j, ма́стер máster, сенсе́й senséj |
| العربية | مُدَرِّب mudarrib |
Talk about this word "sensei." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sensei. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sensei. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sensei "sensei." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sensei.Cite this
@misc{sensei_2026,
title = {sensei},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sensei},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
