# sifu

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #90,989

## Definitions
1. A master or teacher in the context of martial arts, especially kung fu and tai chi.
2. A spiritual father in esoteric contexts.

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