×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Sempai

: 先輩 【せんぱい】
Japanese term used to refer to one's elder in an organization. Most commonly used in school and at work to refer to a person with more seniority than the speaker. For example a first grader would call anyone in second grade or higher "sempai."

Sempai can be used as a title (example: "Good day sempai") or as an honorific (example "Ogata-sempai) will be leaving soon." Most often the pronoun form is used when directly addressing the senior, while the honorific is used when referring to him (or her) in conversation with a third party.

return to lexicon