# sensei

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsɛnseɪ/ · frequency rank #25,570

## Definitions
1. A martial arts instructor; especially one for a Japanese martial art.
2. A Japanese (language) teacher (sometimes used as a suffix attached to the name of a teacher, principally in translations from Japanese).
3. A teacher, guide or mentor, in the context of Japan.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 先生(せんせい) (sensei, “teacher; elder”), from Middle Chinese 先生 (MC sen sraeng, “master, elder”), from 先 (MC sen, “earlier, first”) + 生 (MC sraeng, “born”). Compare modern Mandarin 先生 (xiānshēng, “Mr.”). Doublet of sinseh, from Hokkien 先生 (sin-seⁿ).

## Easily confused with
- **sunset** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sensei-vs-sunset)
- **senses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sensei-vs-senses)
- **sensor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sensei-vs-sensor)
- **Sergei** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sensei-vs-sergei)
- **Spenser** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sensei-vs-spenser)
- **sens** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sens-vs-sensei)
- **sense** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sense-vs-sensei)
- **sensed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sensed-vs-sensei)
- **sender** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sender-vs-sensei)
- **senpai** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/senpai-vs-sensei)
- **Sendai** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sendai-vs-sensei)

## Common misspellings (8)
`esnsei`, `senesi`, `sennsei`, `sensie`, `senssei`, `sesnei`, `snesei`, `ssensei`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sensei