Japanese symbol for “teacher”
先生
せんせい
Romaji: sensei
teacher; instructor; master
In Japanese, teacher is 先生, read せんせい (sensei).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n teacher; instructor; master
- n, n-suf sensei; title or form of address for a teacher, master, doctor, lawyer, etc.
- n intimate or teasing form of address
- n one's elder
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “teacher”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 教師 | きょうし kyoushi | teacher; instructor |
| 教員 | きょういん kyouin | teacher; instructor; teaching staff |
| 教諭 | きょうゆ kyouyu | (licensed) teacher |
| 教官 | きょうかん kyoukan | teacher; instructor; professor |
| 恩師 | おんし onshi | teacher (to whom one owes a debt of gratitude); mentor; one's former teacher |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 優先 | ゆうせん yuusen | preference; priority; precedence |
| 先輩 | せんぱい senpai | senior (at school, work, etc.); superior; elder |
| 先日 | せんじつ senjitsu | the other day; a few days ago |
| 先週 | せんしゅう senshuu | last week; the week before |
| 先月 | せんげつ sengetsu | last month |
| 生活 | せいかつ seikatsu | life; living |
| 人生 | じんせい jinsei | (one's) life |
| 学生 | がくせい gakusei | student (esp. a university student) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “teacher”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.