sempai

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Japanese 先輩 (せんぱい senpai), from Middle Chinese 先 (sen "first", "former") + 輩 (bìj "generation").

Pronunciation
  • (UK, US) IPA(key): /ˈsɛmpaɪ/

Noun

sempai (plural sempais)

  1. Senior member of a group in Japanese arts; mentor.

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
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