Senpai
/ˈsɛnpaɪ/noun
A senior member of a group, especially in a Japanese school, workplace, or martial-arts setting, who has more experience than a newer member.
Did you know?Senpai is written 先輩: 先 means “before” or “ahead,” while 輩 means “fellow” or “person of the same group,” making the word literally an “earlier fellow.”
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
先輩
“An older or earlier member of a group; the characters were later read in Japanese as senpai.”
Late Old Japanese
Japanese
せんぱい / senpai
“A senior or earlier-established person, particularly in an institution or social group.”
Meiji Period
Japanese
先輩
“A senior student, colleague, or practitioner in Japan’s increasingly formalized schools and organizations.”
20th Century
Japanese
senpai
“A respected senior whose experience gives them social or instructional authority over a newer member.”
Modern English
English
senpai
“A Japanese senior or mentor figure, often used in English-language anime, manga, gaming, and internet culture.”