Meaning

Primary

Senior

Alternatives

Older Graduate, Superior

Word Type

noun

Explanation

My comrade who came before me is my senior, my senpai (せんぱい).

Reading

せんぱい
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

This is a jukugo word, which usually means on'yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you'll know how to read this as well, but just remember that the second kanji is read as ぱい because of the rendaku on はい.

Context

Context Sentences

俺の先輩、悪い人では無いんだけどさ、ただちょっと俺とは反りが合わないんだよね。

My superior isn’t a bad guy, but he and I just haven’t been able to hit it off.

Kanji Composition