sifu
noun
sifu is spelled S-I-F-U: 4 letters. It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 90,432nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sifu means “A master or teacher in the context of martial arts, especially kung fu and tai chi” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sifu is sifus.
How many letters and syllables are in sifu?
| Letters | 4: S-I-F-U |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 90,432nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is sifu?
Sifu appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 90,432nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Forms of sifu
- sifus plural
- shifu
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sifu mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A master or teacher in the context of martial arts, especially kung fu and tai chi.
- 2
A spiritual father in esoteric contexts.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sifu in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense martial arts instructor:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | sifu, shifu |
| German | Shifu |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does sifu come from?
From Cantonese 師傅／师傅 (si1 fu6-2, “master”) and 師父／师父 (si1 fu6-2, “my master”), both also conveying the sense of teacher.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).