先生sensei
Quick definition:Sensei is a Japanese title of respect for teachers, doctors, artists and other skilled professionals, and in anime it is most often used for school teachers and martial arts masters.
Meaning
Sensei is a title used for teachers and other respected experts. In Japan it is attached to the names of school teachers, martial arts instructors, lawyers, politicians and artists. In anime and manga it is used when speaking to or about these people, often placed after a surname.
Anime uses the word in many settings. A homeroom teacher at a high school is called sensei by the class, a kendo or judo instructor is called sensei in the dojo, and a manga artist may be addressed as sensei by assistants and fans. Whether the character is a strict teacher, a kindly mentor or a funny eccentric, the title signals respect.
Some series use the title for wise mentors in fantasy and action stories as well, and English-language fans use sensei humorously for anyone who teaches a skill, from a cooking tutor to a gaming coach. In martial arts, the word often refers to the head instructor of a dojo, a training hall.
Origin:Sensei is written with the characters for before and born, so the word literally means one who was born before or one who has gone before. In Japan it has long been a title of respect for those who teach or have mastered a field, and it came into English through martial arts, then through anime and manga.
Example:In a high school anime, the homeroom teacher walks in, the class stands, and students greet him as sensei before lessons begin. Series such as Great Teacher Onizuka put the teacher at the centre, following a former gang member who becomes a teacher and tackles his students' problems in unorthodox ways.
Did you know?Sensei is also the usual word for a doctor in Japan, and hospital dramas in anime and manga show patients using it in the same respectful way that students use it for teachers.
