View source for Sensei

{{distinguish|Sansei}}
{{Short description|East Asian honorific}}
{{italictitle}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| title = ''Xiansheng''
| altname = 
| c = {{linktext|先生}}
| l = "[one] born before", "elder"
| p = xiānshēng
| w = hsien<sup>1</sup>-sheng<sup>1</sup>
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|x|ian|1|.|sh|eng|1}}
| ci = 
| y = sīn-sāang
| j = sin1 saang1
| poj = sian-siⁿ
| tl = sian-sinn
| mc = sen-shang
| kanji = 先生
| hiragana = せんせい
| katakana = センセイ
| romaji = sensei
| hangul = 선생
| rr = seonsaeng
| pfs = sîn-sâng
| phfs = sîn-sâng
| hhbuc = sĭng-săng
| oc-bs = /*sˤər  sreŋ/
| oc-zz = /*sɯːn  sʰleːŋ/
| wuu = shien san
| Wu Romanization = shien san
| qn = tiên sinh
| hn = 先生
}}
{{Zen Buddhism}}

The term "先生", read '''{{translit|zh|xiansheng}}''' in Chinese, '''{{translit|ja|sensei}}''' in [[Japanese language|Japanese]], '''{{translit|ko|rr|seonsaeng}}''' in [[Korean language|Korean]], and '''{{translit|vi|tiên sinh}}''' in [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]], is an [[honorific]] used in the [[Sinosphere]]. In Japanese, the term literally means "person born before another" or "one who comes before".<ref>{{cite news|work=Kōjien Japanese Dictionary|title= 先生}}</ref> It is generally used after a person's name and means "teacher".<ref>{{cite news|work=Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary|title=Sense}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=先生 (xiānsheng) |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/chinese-english/先生 |website=Collins Mandarin Chinese Dictionary |publisher=}}</ref> The word is also used as a title to refer to or address other professionals or people of authority, such as [[clergy]], [[accountant]]s, [[lawyer]]s, [[physician]]s and [[politician]]s,<ref>{{cite book|title=Secrets of the Samurai|publisher= Ratti & Westbrook|author= Tuttle|date= 1973}}</ref> or to show respect to someone who has achieved a certain level of mastery in an art form or some other skill, e.g., accomplished [[novelist]]s, [[musician]]s, [[artist]]s and [[martial arts|martial artists]].

==Etymology==
The two characters that make up the term can be directly translated as "first born" and imply one who teaches based on [[wisdom]] from age and experience.<ref>{{cite web|author=Akiyama, Jun |url=http://www.aikiweb.com/language/goldsbury1.html |website=AikiWeb |title=Aikido Information: Language: Sensei/Shihan as "Teacher" in Japanese |access-date=2010-12-02}}</ref>

The word prefaced by the adjective 大, pronounced "dai" (or "ō"), which means "great" or "large", is often translated "[[Grandmaster (martial arts)|grand master]]". This compound term, "dai-sensei" (大先生), is sometimes used to refer to the top sensei in a particular school or tradition, particularly within the [[iemoto]] system. For a more senior member of a group who has not achieved the level of sensei, the term {{nihongo|[[Senpai and kōhai|senpai]]|[[wiktionary:先輩|先輩]]}} is used – note the common use of 先 "before"; in martial arts, this is particularly used for the most senior non-sensei member.

== Use in Chinese ==
The Chinese use of ''xiansheng'' was a courtesy title for a man of respected stature. [[Middle Chinese]] pronunciation of this term may have been *{{IPA|senʃaŋ}} or *{{IPA|sienʃaŋ}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Web韻圖 ～廣韻檢索～ |url=http://suzukish.s252.xrea.com/search/inkyo/yunzi/%E7%94%9F |access-date=2022-10-18 |website=suzukish.s252.xrea.com}}</ref> In [[modern Standard Chinese]], it is also used in the same way as the title "Mr". Prior to the development of the modern [[vernacular]], ''xiansheng'' was used to address teachers of both genders; this has fallen out of usage in Standard Chinese, though it is retained in some southern Chinese [[varieties of Chinese|Chinese varieties]] such as [[Cantonese]], [[Hokkien]], [[Wu Chinese|Wu]], [[Teochew dialect|Teochew]] and [[Hakka Chinese|Hakka]], where it still has the meaning "teacher" or "doctor". In Japanese, ''sensei'' is still used to address people of both genders. It is likely both the current Southern Chinese and Japanese usages are more reflective of its Middle Chinese [[etymology]]. For Hokkien and Teochew communities in Singapore and Malaysia, "''sensei''" is the proper word to address school teachers.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}} [[Traditional Chinese medicine|Traditional physicians]] in the Malay Peninsular and Singapore are addressed among locals with the [[Hokkien]] variant '''''sinseh'''''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lim Kean Ghee |title=The History of Medicine and Health in Malaysia |date=2016 |publisher=self |location=Petaling Jaya |isbn=978-983-40800-1-3 |pages=20–1}}</ref>

==Use in Buddhism==
In [[Sanbo Kyodan]]-related [[Zen]] schools, ''sensei'' is used to refer to [[ordained]] teachers below the rank of [[rōshi]]. However, other schools of [[Buddhism in Japan]] use the term for any priest regardless of seniority; for example, the title is also used for [[Jōdo Shinshū]] ministers in the [[United States]], whether they are ethnically Japanese or not. In the [[Kwan Um School of Zen]], according to [[Zen master]] [[Seungsahn]], the [[Korean language|Korean]] title ''ji do poep sa nim'' is much like the Japanese title "sensei".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kwanumzen.org/1987/inka-means-strong-center-and-wisdom/ |title=Zen Master Seung Sahn – Inka Means Strong Center and Wisdom |publisher=Kwanumzen.org |access-date=2011-12-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406213535/http://www.kwanumzen.org/1987/inka-means-strong-center-and-wisdom/ |archive-date=2012-04-06 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Japanese honorifics#Martial arts titles|Japanese martial arts titles]]
* [[Chinese language|Chinese]]: [[shifu]]
* [[Sanskrit]]: [[guru]]
* [[Zen ranks and hierarchy]]
* [[Senpai]]
* [[Rōshi]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|sensei|先生|선생}}

* [http://www.judoinfo.com/sensei1.htm What is a Sensei in Judo?]
* [http://karatecoaching.com/what-is-sensei-%E5%85%88%E7%94%9F-who-can-be-a-sensei/ Karate: What is a Sensei in Karate?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821101854/http://karatecoaching.com/what-is-sensei-%E5%85%88%E7%94%9F-who-can-be-a-sensei/ |date=2018-08-21 }}

{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Japanese social terms}}
[[Category:Japanese honorifics]]
[[Category:Titles and rank in Japanese martial arts]]
[[Category:Japanese Buddhist titles]]
[[Category:Japanese words and phrases]]
[[Category:Japanese values]]
[[Category:Zen]]