Senpai is the Japanese word for ‘someone older than someone else’

What does “senpai” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “senpai” to mean ‘someone who is older than someone else in a group’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “senpai” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “senpai”
• What does “senpai” literally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to use “senpai”
  • Example #2: another usage of “senpai”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “senpai”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “senpai”.

• senpai – 先輩 (せんぱい) : a noun meaning ‘someone older than someone else in a group’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Unfortunately, English doesn’t have a perfect translation for this noun. Japanese native speakers normally use this to refer to someone older than someone else in a group. The idea of this noun is strongly related to the Japanese society where older people often lead younger, I think.

The definition and meaning are not that difficult. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

What does “senpai” literally mean in Japanese?

The kanji expression of “senpai” consists of the following two kanji characters:

• 先 : a kanji character often used as a prefix or suffix to add the meaning of ‘leading’. This can also be found in other words like “sensei“.
• 輩 : a kanji character used to mean ‘mate’, ‘fellow’, ‘crew’, ‘comrade’, or such in Japanese.

These two kanji characters tell us that “senpai” literally means a ‘leading mate’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. Native speakers indeed use this noun to refer to a person who leads younger ones in a group. I don’t think older people always have to lead younger, though….

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “senpai” through the detailed kanji check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “senpai” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to use “senpai”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works to join “gakkou” and “senpai”. The formed phrase literally means an ‘older person in the same school’ in Japanese. The first “no” explained above can be considered as the special version of this type of “no”.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “watashi no gakkou no senpai” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “senpai”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “watashi no gakkou no senpai”, which literally means an ‘older person in my school’ in Japanese. The phrase has been translated as ‘older than I and goes to the same school’, though.

Example #2: another usage of “senpai”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• kon’ya – 今夜 (こんや) : a noun meaning ‘tonight’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to say “tonight” in Japanese.
• kaisha – 会社 (かいしゃ) : a noun meaning ‘company’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• to – と : a case particle used to say with whom someone does something. In the example, this is used after “kaisha no senpai” to say with whom the speaker will meet tonight.
• au – 会う (あう) : a verb meaning ‘to meet’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “senpai”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “kaisha no senpai”, which means ‘older people in the company’ in Japanese. When we want to refer to someone older than someone else in a group in Japanese, anyway, “senpai” is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “senpai” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• senpai – 先輩 (せんぱい) : a noun meaning ‘someone older than someone else in a group’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Unfortunately, English doesn’t have a perfect translation for this noun. The idea of this noun is strongly related to the Japanese society where older people often lead younger. These two kanji characters literally mean a ‘leading mate’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. Native speakers indeed use this noun to refer to a person who leads younger ones in a group.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.