先生

		early; prior; former early; prior; former; in advance; first	to be born; to give birth; life to be born; to give birth; life; to grow; student; raw
simp. and trad. (先生)		先	生
Literally: “one who was born earlier”.

The specific pronunciation of Taiwanese Hokkien 先生 (siăn-sé) is from Japanese 先生(せんせい) (sensei) as evidenced by its pitch accent pronunciation. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

先生

1. An honorific for adults, usually conferred on males: mister; sir; gentleman

   王先生來了。／王先生来了。 [Taiwanese Mandarin]  ―  Wáng xiānshēng lái le. [Pinyin]  ―  Mr. Wang has come.

   王先生來矣。 [Hokkien, trad.]
   王先生来矣。 [Hokkien, simp.]

   Ông--sian-seⁿ lâi--ah. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

   Mr. Ong has come.

   陳先生被原單位派遣到連鎖公司工作。 [MSC, trad.]
   陈先生被原单位派遣到连锁公司工作。 [MSC, simp.]

   Chén xiānsheng bèi yuándānwèi pàiqiǎn dào liánsuǒ gōngsī gōngzuò. [Pinyin]

   Mr. Chen was sent by his former organization to work at a chain company.

2. husband
3. (literal, Classical) one who was born earlier

   • 誕彌厥月，先生如達。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     诞弥厥月，先生如达。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Dàn mí jué yuè, xiānshēng rú dá. [Pinyin]

     When she had fulfilled her months,
     Her first-born son [came forth] like a lamb.

4. (literary) father and elder brother
5. (literary) ancestor
6. (literary) Taoist priest
7. (Gan, Hakka, Min, dated in Mandarin and Jin) doctor

   • 大哥說：「今天請何先生來，給你診一診。」 [MSC, trad.]
     大哥说：「今天请何先生来，给你诊一诊。」 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1918, Lu Xun, A Madman's Diary

     Dàgē shuō: “Jīntiān qǐng Hé xiānshēng lái, gěi nǐ zhěn yī zhěn.” [Pinyin]

     My elder brother said, "Today, I've invited Dr. He to come and give you a check up."

8. (dialectal) traditional Chinese medicine physician
9. (honorific in Mandarin, Jin; common in Cantonese, Gan, Hakka, Min) teacher

   先生講，學生恬恬聽。 [Hokkien, trad.]
   先生讲，学生恬恬听。 [Hokkien, simp.]

   Sian-siⁿ kóng, ha̍k-seng tiām-tiām thiaⁿ. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

   The teacher speaks, and the students silently listen.

   • 列子曰：「嘻，子之先生死矣，弗活矣。」 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

     Lièzǐ yuē: “Xī, zǐ zhī xiānshēng sǐ yǐ, fú huó yǐ.” [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 他在學堂的時候，先生問他：「直隸省的西邊是哪一省？」他說是陝西。先生說：「錯了，是山西，不是陝西。」他說：「陝西同山西，不是差不多嗎？」 [MSC, trad.]
     他在学堂的时候，先生问他：「直隶省的西边是哪一省？」他说是陕西。先生说：「错了，是山西，不是陕西。」他说：「陕西同山西，不是差不多吗？」 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1924, Hu Shih, Life of Mr. Close Enough

     Tā zài xuétáng de shíhòu, xiānshēng wèn tā: “Zhílì Shěng de xībiān shì nǎ yī shěng?” Tā shuō shì Shǎnxī. Xiānshēng shuō: “Cuò le, shì Shānxī, bùshì Shǎnxī.” Tā shuō: “Shǎnxī tóng Shānxī, bùshì chābùduō ma?” [Pinyin]

     When he went to school, the teacher asked him: "Which province is west of Zhili Province?" He answered Shaanxi. The teacher said: "Wrong, it is Shanxi, not Shaanxi." He said: "Would Shaanxi and Shanxi not be close enough?"

10. (obsolete or Wu) female prostitute

Some females are also referred with the term 先生, however, this term is reserved for older and highly respected ones, and almost for specific persons only, e.g. Soong Ching-ling, He Xiangning and Yang Jiang. For most instances 女士 (nǚshì, “Ms.”) is used. Whether this term can be used for females is still a topic being debated.

• (husband):

• (Taoist priest):

• (doctor):

• (teacher):

• (female prostitute):

Others:

• → Amis: singsi (via Hokkien)
• → English: sinseh (via Hokkien)
• → Indonesian: sinse, singse, sengsai (via Hokkien)
• → Khmer: ស៊ិនសែ (sɨnsae) (via Teochew)
• → Sakizaya: singsi (via Hokkien)
• → Thai: ซินแส (sin-sɛ̌ɛ), จีนแส (jiin-sɛ̌ɛ) (via Teochew)

• 太太 (tàitai)
• 女士 (nǚshì)
• (Mr.): 氏 (shì)

• (Hokkien) “先生”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.
• (Hakka) “Entry #1486”, in 臺灣客語辭典 [Dictionary of Taiwan Hakka] (overall work in Chinese and Hakka), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2022.
• (Puxian Min) 莆田市政协文化文史和学习委员会 [Culture, History and Learning Committee of Putian CPPCC], editor (2021), “先生”, in 莆仙方言大词典 [Comprehensive Dictionary of Puxian Dialect] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), Xiamen University Press, →ISBN, page 474.

Kanji in this term
先	生
せん Grade: 1	せい Grade: 1
kan'on

Alternative spellings
せんせー センセー

From Middle Chinese 先生 (MC sen|senH sraeng|sraengH, literally “born earlier”).

• (Tokyo) せんせー [sèńséꜜè] (Nakadaka – [3])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [sẽ̞ɰ̃se̞ː]

先(せん)生(せい) • (sensei) 

1. an elder
2. a scholar
3. a teacher or a professor
   • 1984 February 20 [1983 June 15], Motoka Murakami, “多(た)感(かん)な季(と)節(き)の巻(まき) [A Season Full of Emotions]”, in 六(ム)三(サ)四(シ)の剣(けん) [Musashi’s Sword], 4th edition, volume 10 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, pages 161–162:

     学(がっ)校(こう)のみんなも先(せん)生(せい)のことさ好(す)いてる……母(か)っちゃすきか⁉

     Gakkō no minna mo Sensei no koto sa suiteru…… Katcha suki ka⁉

     Everybody at school likes Sensei…… Ya like him, Ma⁉

     もちろん好(す)きよ‼ほんとにいい先(せん)生(せい)ですもの…

     Mochiron suki yo‼ Honto ni ii sensei desu mono…

     Of course‼ He’s a very good teacher…

     オラもすきだあ。んでも、先(せん)生(せい)は先(せん)生(せい)だあ…オラの父(と)っちゃにはなれねえ！

     Ora mo suki dā. N demo, Sensei wa Sensei dā… Ora no totcha ni wa narenē!

     Ah like him, too. But Sensei’s only Sensei… He could never be mah pa!

     え…⁉それ…ひょっとして、私(わたくし)と八(や)重(え)樫(がし)先(せん)生(せい)が結(けっ)婚(こん)するってこと……⁉

     E…⁉ Sore… hyotto shite, watakushi to Yaegashi Sensei ga kekkon surutte koto……⁉

     What…⁉ Wait… You think I’m gonna marry Yaegashi Sensei……⁉

4. sensei (Japanese martial arts teacher)
5. sir, a polite form of address to teachers, doctors, etc.

• This is a term of respect, reserved only for speaking about others, and considered somewhat impolite (immodest) to use when referring to oneself. Instead, the term 教師 (kyōshi, “teacher”, literally “teaching + teacher”) is considered more socially appropriate when referring to oneself.
• This is an example of a word that can be spelled with katakana to convey an informal conversational tone, as センセー.

• 大(だい)先(せん)生(せい) (daisensei): great teacher, high authority

• → English: sensei
• → French: sensei
• → Hokkien: siăn-sé
• → Korean: 센세이 (sensei)
• → Indonesian: sensei
• → Palauan: sensei
• → Portuguese: sensei
• → Spanish: sensei
• → Yami: sinsi

先(せん)生(せい) • (-sensei) 

1. a title used after the name of teachers, doctors, lawyers, or certain other professionals

• 師(し)匠(しょう) (shishō): a master, a teacher
• 医(い)師(し) (ishi): a medical doctor
• 教(きょう)師(し) (kyōshi): a teacher
• 教(きょう)授(じゅ) (kyōju): a professor
• 弁(べん)護(ご)士(し) (bengoshi): an attorney, a lawyer

Kanji in this term
先	生
しぇん Grade: 1	しぇい Grade: 1
irregular

先(しぇん)生(しぇい) • (shenshei) 

1. (Hakata) teacher, professor

• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

Hanja in this term
先	生

先生 • (seonsaeng) (hangeul 선생)

1. hanja form^? of 선생 (“teacher”)

Kanji in this term
先	生
しん Grade: 1	しー Grade: 1
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 先生 (MC sen|senH sraeng|sraengH). Cognate with Japanese 先生 (sensei), Korean 선생 (seonsaeng), Jeju 선싕 (seonsuing).

先(しん)生(しー) (shinshī) 

1. teacher

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
先	生

先生

1. chữ Hán form of tiên sinh (“(Chinese fiction) you, a senior or knowledgeable person”)