senpai
English
Alternative forms
- sempai
Etymology
Japanese 先輩 (senpai), from Middle Chinese 先 (sen, “first, former”) + 輩 (bìj, “generation”). Compare Mandarin 先輩 (xiānbèi, “elders”).
Pronunciation
- (UK, US) IPA(key): /ˈsɛmpaɪ/, /ˈsɛnpaɪ/, [ˈsɛmpaɪ̯], [ˈsɛnpaɪ̯]
Noun
senpai (plural senpais)
- Senior member of a group in Japanese arts; mentor.
- (anime and manga, fandom slang) An upperclassman or elder student.
Usage notes
Use in English may carry humorous or affectionate connotations. This is possibly due to (assumed) reference to modern Japanese media, or possibly a lexical gap.
Antonyms
- kohai
Anagrams
- Espina, Pesina, Sapien, sapien, spinae
Japanese
Romanization
senpai
- Rōmaji transcription of せんぱい