Notice Me Senpai! What Does Senpai Mean In Japanese and How to Use it (2025)

Team Japanese uses affiliate links. That means that if you purchase something through a link on this site, we may earn a commission (at no extra cost to you).

For fans of anime and manga, one of the first few Japanese words you can quickly get acquainted with is senpai (先輩 / せんぱい). You may hear this frequently in stories set in schools. A senpai is someone’s senior or superior, an older person who is looked up to in school or the workplace because of their experience.

In Japanese society, a hierarchical structure is introduced to children from a young age, starting from the home, the school, and up until they are of working age. Let’s see how to use the term senpai to refer to your seniors.

Table Of Contents

  1. What does senpai mean in Japanese?
  2. How to use senpai
  3. Sempai or senpai?
  4. Hierarchy in Japanese society
  5. Senpai vs. Sensei
  6. Senpai at school
  7. Senpai in the workplace

What does senpai mean in Japanese?

Senpai (先輩 / せんぱい) is an JLPT N4-level Japanese word equivalent to ‘senior’ or ‘superior’ in English. It usually refers to someone older or more experienced than you. They can be a higher-level student at school or a colleague at work who entered the company before you.

We can break down the word for senpai into two characters. The first character is read as sen (先 / セン) in onyomi or the Chinese reading. It means ‘before’, ‘ahead’, or ‘previous’. The second character’s onyomi reading is pai (輩 / パイ), and it means ‘comrade’, or ‘companion’.

The opposite of senpai is kouhai (後輩 / こうはい), meaning ‘junior’. They are typically younger, less experienced people who are to be guided by their superiors.

Because of popular media, the ‘Notice me, senpai!’ trend blew up. Some anime fans associate this phrase with unrequited love or some form of romantic expression towards a crush. But getting noticed by your senpai simply means being acknowledged by someone you greatly admire, like a veteran sports player on your team, the smartest student in the year above you or – well, your upperclassman crush!

Notice Me Senpai! What Does Senpai Mean In Japanese and How to Use it (1)

How to use senpai

Someone is your senpai if:

  • They are older than you in your common group or organization
  • They have more experience than you (regardless of age)
  • They started school, work, or were a part of your common group earlier than you

You can use the word senpai in two main ways.

It can be used as an honorific suffix (-senpai / ~先輩 / ~せんぱい) by attaching the word to the end of someone’s name (ex. Tanaka-senpai).

You can also use senpai alone when addressing someone. Calling someone senpai without using their name is still a sign of respect.

Note that the most common way to address your seniors in the workplace is using the honorific -san (~さん) attached to their name. This is equivalent to ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’ in English.

Keep in mind that seniors command respect, so it’s best to use polite language when interacting with them.

Sempai or senpai?

The correct way to write it in romaji is senpai. The word is spelled with an “n” (ん) in kana (せぱい), and if you check hiragana and katakana charts, the character ん corresponds to n in latin characters. Meanwhile, the only “m” characters are ma (ま), mi (み), mu (む), me (め), and mo (も).

What about sempai? It isn’t totally wrong, but the “m” romanization has more to do with the pronunciation of the word. Just like how in the English language, words that contain “n” followed by consonants like “p”, “b”, or “m” take more of an “m” sound.

So phonetically, sempai is not incorrect, but when writing down the word せんぱい in romaji, senpai is the way to go.

In case you’re still a little confused, this video by Richard Heiney breaks down the pronunciation for senpai very well!

Hierarchy in Japanese society

The concept of hierarchy in Japanese society is deeply rooted in Confucian beliefs. Obedience is one of the important values. Whoever is at the top of the social pyramid should be obeyed and respected by those beneath them.

During the Tokugawa period, the family structure placed the father as the head of household. Following him was the eldest to the youngest sons, then his wife, then finally, the eldest to youngest daughters. Inheritance also usually follows this line of succession. Daughters can inherit the headship of the family, but once they are married, their husbands will succeed instead.

The values of obedience and filial piety shaped much of family and even political structure. In other words, a parent-child relationship was akin to ruler-subject.

Although this family system is not observed in modern Japan, other forms of social hierarchy are still present. The senpai-kouhai relationship is one of them.

Senpai vs. Sensei

Because anime and manga have become popular around the world, terms like senpai, sensei, and kouhai get randomly thrown around in conversation. It’s easy to get confused, so here’s a little background.

The hierarchy level is as follows:

Notice Me Senpai! What Does Senpai Mean In Japanese and How to Use it (3)

Sensei is an honorific title used to address someone who is a ‘teacher’ or ‘master’ (ex. Yamada-sensei). Teachers do not call themselves sensei. Instead, they use the noun kyoushi (教師 / きょうし) for ‘teacher’. The sensei is responsible for all his or her students, regardless of their length of stay in the group.

For someone to be addressed this way, they should have some form of mastery or high level of skill or experience in their field. In fact, doctors and professors can also be called sensei.

Meanwhile, senpai are your fellow members of a group, the difference is that they have been part of the group longer than you and are more experienced.

Senpai at school

You might have first encountered the senpai-kouhai relationship in school-related manga or anime. It’s often exaggerated in the media, but in real life, senpai at school usually serve as role models and caring guides to their juniors.

Just like teachers, one can learn a lot from their seniors simply because they have been around longer. Teachers also depend on seniors for help in mentoring the younger students. Sure, some older students may abuse their senpai status and boss others around, but it is expected of them to be responsible in front of their juniors.

Let’s pretend you are a newcomer at an after-school tennis club. Your instructor or coach is your sensei. They typically assign the more difficult tasks, such as carrying heavy equipment or planning gatherings to the senior members or senpai. The senpai are expected to welcome and show the ropes to the younger members or kouhai, who are usually assigned to setting up and putting away nets, rackets, balls, and other equipment.

Senpai in the workplace

Even among working adults, the seniority system is still prevalent. Upon entering a company, younger colleagues can expect their senpai to guide them along, help them settle in, and ‘mentor’ them.

Seniors at work are not necessarily your boss – they can be colleagues in the same department who joined the team before you. But there still are certain expectations, like the seniors must pay for lunches or dinners out, the juniors must pour their seniors drinks at nomikai (drinking parties), and that juniors must not leave the office before their superiors. It is good to use polite language or keigo with them.

That’s not to say senpai and kouhai can’t be friends. They most certainly can! It is not a strict boss-employee relationship, but more like a coworker dynamic.

Rather than a strict senior-junior relationship, senpai can be friends with their kouhai. However there will always be the nuance that the underclassman learns from the upperclassman. In this vein, the senpai is partly responsible for the growth of the kouhai.

Senpai in Japanese

So know you know how to use senpai in Japanese correctly. Beyond the ‘notice me!’ memes, senpai is an essential Japanese word to understand if you want to live, work or study in Japan.

If you want to learn more Japanese online, our top recommended course is JapanesePod101. You’ll learn modern Japanese language and culture with fun, free audio lessons and online resources. Check it out here!

Notice Me Senpai! What Does Senpai Mean In Japanese and How to Use it (4)

Related posts:

  • Kouhai In Japanese: What Does it Mean and How to Use it
  • Japanese Honorifics: An Easy Beginner’s Guide
  • 17 Japanese Anime Words All Fans Must Know
  • Japanese Terms Of Endearment: Cute Nicknames for Lovers and Friends!
Notice Me Senpai! What Does Senpai Mean In Japanese and How to Use it (5)

Thea Ongchua

Thea is a freelance content writer, currently majoring in Japanese studies. She likes to create art and draws inspiration from film and music. Thea was inspired to study Japanese language and culture by reading the literary works of Haruki Murakami and Edogawa Ranpo.

Notice Me Senpai! What Does Senpai Mean In Japanese and How to Use it (2025)

FAQs

Notice Me Senpai! What Does Senpai Mean In Japanese and How to Use it? ›

In Japan, senpai

senpai
Senpai refers to the member of higher experience, hierarchy, level, or age in the organization who offers assistance, friendship, and counsel to a new or inexperienced member, known as the kōhai, who must demonstrate gratitude, respect, and occasionally personal loyalty.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Senpai_and_kōhai
, sometimes spelled sempai, is an honorific for an upperclassman at school. In anime and manga, it's a common trope that a senpai character is also an object of affection for a younger peer.

What is the dirty meaning of senpai? ›

Senpai is not a sexual word. It is used in Japan if you are talking to a mentor, a teacher, a brand manager or a formal person except the families, friends and young ones. Like in German you say “Guten Tag!! Mein Name ist ……..” in a formal way which means in English “Hello! My name is ……”.

How do you use senpai in Japanese? ›

Senpai and kohai are both honorifics. As such they go after the name of the person being addressed, just like all of the other honorifics in Japanese. However, younger speakers who are friendly with the addressee may simply use senpai on its own.

What does it mean if someone calls me senpai? ›

In Japanese the word is used more broadly to mean "teacher" or "master." Like sensei, senpai is used in English in contexts of martial arts as well as religious instruction, in particular Buddhism. Sensei in those contexts refers to someone of a higher rank than senpai. Ranking below a senpai is a kohai.

Can you say senpai to a girl? ›

As with "Sensei" is used interchangeably by sex, and does not necessarily follows the name. You might find it transcribed as “sempai”. Its opposite is “Kohai/kouhai” but it is rarely used when talking to someone.

Is it rude to call someone senpai? ›

Although it may seem rude in workplaces, the suffix is also used by seniors when referring to juniors in both academic situations and workplaces, more typically when the two people are associated.

What is the weird meaning of senpai? ›

senpai is an upperclassman who mentors an underclassman, or kohai. This term is used most often in English in reference to anime and manga and originates from Japanese 先輩, "earlier colleague". Used more broadly to mean "teacher" or "master."

What is the English word for senpai? ›

The senpai (先輩, "senior") and kōhai (後輩, "junior") relationship has its roots in Confucianism, but has developed a distinctive Japanese style. The term senpai can be considered a term in Japanese honorifics.

Is senpai respectful? ›

If a kohai screws up and embarrasses the group, the senpai feel just as responsible. Although senpai may and sometimes do abuse their lower ranking peers, they are expected to show the young'uns a level of respect.

What is the female version of senpai? ›

Senpai is Yandere-chan's obsession. Her placeholder name is Taeko Yamada, which is the female equivalent of her male counterpart.

Is senpai a man or woman? ›

No, Japanese has no grammatical gender, it can be used for either…. 先輩 senpai can be used for anybody there before you. Male or female (or whatever you identify as) at school, work, club, anything really, even life.

What does it mean when someone says "notice me senpai"? ›

I hope senpai will notice me is a phrase inspired by anime and manga. In practice, people who use it tend to mean that they want to be acknowledged by someone they greatly admire. The imperative form notice me senpai is often used on social media when a fan tags a celebrity they love.

Where did Notice Me senpai come from? ›

The concept was introduced there on August 8, 2012 when a blog called Has Senpai Noticed Me Yet? was created. In fandom spaces, this meme sees a variety of different uses. Fans may use it to poke fun at canonical relationships, or to indicate that they find a character hot and would like to be "noticed" by them.

Does senpai mean cute? ›

Does Senpai mean crush? No, senpai means “person who is my senior in school/work/other field but isn't my boss”. Ie. People a year or two above you in school would be called senpai.

What is the meaning of senpai? ›

senpai is an upperclassman who mentors an underclassman, or kohai. This term is used most often in English in reference to anime and manga and originates from Japanese 先輩, "earlier colleague". Used more broadly to mean "teacher" or "master."

Do Japanese people actually say senpai? ›

Senpai and kōhai are Japanese terms used to describe an informal hierarchical interpersonal relationship found in organizations, associations, clubs, businesses, and schools in Japan and expressions of Japanese culture worldwide.

What does it mean when you say senpai after someone's name? ›

Senpai (先輩、せんぱい, "former born") is used to address or refer to one's older or more senior colleagues and students in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club. Teachers are not senpai, but rather they are sensei.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Chrissy Homenick

Last Updated:

Views: 6035

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (74 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Chrissy Homenick

Birthday: 2001-10-22

Address: 611 Kuhn Oval, Feltonbury, NY 02783-3818

Phone: +96619177651654

Job: Mining Representative

Hobby: amateur radio, Sculling, Knife making, Gardening, Watching movies, Gunsmithing, Video gaming

Introduction: My name is Chrissy Homenick, I am a tender, funny, determined, tender, glorious, fancy, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.