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How to say 'Teacher' in Japanese | 先生

Wondering how to say 'Teacher' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Teacher is 'Sensei', written as 先生 in Japanese.'Teacher' in hiragana is せんせい.

    word

    先生

    Meaning

    Teacher

    Reading

    せんせい

    sensei

    Kanji

    先Before, Previous 生Life

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '先生 (せんせい)' primarily means 'teacher'. It is a respectful term used to address or refer to educators, instructors, or mentors, such as school teachers, professors, or even professionals like doctors and lawyers. The term conveys respect and is commonly used in formal or polite contexts. For example: The teacher is kind「先生は優しい」(せんせいはやさしい). I asked the teacher a question「先生に質問をしました」(せんせいしつもんをしました). Note that '先生' is also used as a title, similar to 'Mr.', 'Ms.', or 'Dr.' in English, and is often appended to the person's name, e.g., '田中先生 (たなかせんせい)' (Teacher Tanaka).

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N5

    Kanji Grade

    1

    Frequency

    252

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 先生

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

  • kanji

    先

    Meaning

    Before, Previous

  • kanji

    生

    Meaning

    Life

Words Related to 先生 Through the Kanji 先

These 20 Words contain the Kanji 先 as well.

  • word

    先

    Meaning

    Ahead, Tip

  • word

    先ず

    Meaning

    First

  • word

    先月

    Meaning

    Last month

  • word

    先週

    Meaning

    Last week

  • word

    先程

    Meaning

    Earlier

  • word

    先に

    Meaning

    Before

  • word

    先輩

    Meaning

    Senior

  • word

    優先

    Meaning

    Priority

  • word

    先日

    Meaning

    Recently

  • word

    最先端

    Meaning

    Cutting edge

  • word

    宛先

    Meaning

    Address

  • word

    先端

    Meaning

    Tip, Cutting edge

  • word

    先進

    Meaning

    Advancement

  • word

    先祖

    Meaning

    Ancestor

  • word

    先行

    Meaning

    Precedence

  • word

    先頭

    Meaning

    Front

  • word

    真っ先

    Meaning

    Forefront

  • word

    指先

    Meaning

    Fingertip

  • word

    勤め先

    Meaning

    Workplace

  • word

    祖先

    Meaning

    Ancestor

Words Related to 先生 Through the Kanji 生

These 54 Words contain the Kanji 生 as well.

  • word

    大学生

    Meaning

    Student

  • word

    高校生

    Meaning

    High school student

  • word

    生きる

    Meaning

    Live

  • word

    留学生

    Meaning

    Foreign student

  • word

    生まれる

    Meaning

    Born

  • word

    人生

    Meaning

    Life

  • word

    生ずる

    Meaning

    Arise

  • word

    学生

    Meaning

    Student

  • word

    生産

    Meaning

    Production

  • word

    生活

    Meaning

    Life

  • word

    中学生

    Meaning

    Middle school student

  • word

    小学生

    Meaning

    Elementary student

  • word

    生徒

    Meaning

    Student

  • word

    発生

    Meaning

    Occurrence

  • word

    生命

    Meaning

    Life

  • word

    生む

    Meaning

    Give birth

  • word

    一生

    Meaning

    Lifetime

  • word

    生物

    Meaning

    Organism

  • word

    誕生日

    Meaning

    Birthday

  • word

    一生懸命

    Meaning

    Hard, Earnestly

  • word

    生かす

    Meaning

    Utilize

  • word

    生理

    Meaning

    Menstruation, Physiology

  • word

    生み出す

    Meaning

    Produce

  • word

    厚生

    Meaning

    Welfare

  • word

    生まれ

    Meaning

    Birth

  • word

    生じる

    Meaning

    Arise

  • word

    生き方

    Meaning

    Lifestyle

  • word

    生け花

    Meaning

    Flower arranging

  • word

    生年月日

    Meaning

    Birthdate

  • word

    生まれつき

    Meaning

    Innately

  • word

    生き生きと

    Meaning

    Vividly

  • word

    生涯

    Meaning

    Lifetime

  • word

    生死

    Meaning

    Life and death

  • word

    生存

    Meaning

    Survival

  • word

    生える

    Meaning

    Grow

  • word

    衛生的

    Meaning

    Sanitary

  • word

    再生

    Meaning

    Playback, Recycling

  • word

    芝生

    Meaning

    Lawn

  • word

    生き物

    Meaning

    Creature

  • word

    衛生

    Meaning

    Hygiene

  • word

    生成

    Meaning

    Generation

  • word

    長生き

    Meaning

    Long life

  • word

    生やす

    Meaning

    Grow

  • word

    生

    Meaning

    Raw

  • word

    無生物

    Meaning

    Inanimate

  • word

    生態

    Meaning

    Ecology

  • word

    生意気

    Meaning

    Cheeky

  • word

    生き残る

    Meaning

    Survive

  • word

    新生

    Meaning

    Rebirth

  • word

    出生

    Meaning

    Birth

  • word

    生き生き

    Meaning

    Vividly

  • word

    誕生

    Meaning

    Birth

  • word

    同級生

    Meaning

    Classmate

  • word

    生臭い

    Meaning

    Fishy, Bloody

Learn the Word 先生

Let's make sure you fully understand this word.

What does 'Sensei' (先生) mean?

'Sensei' means 'Teacher' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.