Senpai and kÅhai
Senpai (Japanese先辈, according to the revised Hepburn; rarely Sempai ) is the Japanese term for someone who in an organization is longer than yourself, this takes precedence over the age: A 24 -year-old, who in the second year of a company operates is the senpai of a 25 -year-old who is just beginning. The opposite of senpai is kōhai. These terms are used everywhere, where Japanese come together in hierarchical groups, ie at school, at the university, within the department of a company and in a sports club.
Senpai - kohai relationship
The senpai - kohai relationship is an application of the Confucian Five human elementary relations in the areas mentioned above and transmits the senpai the task, similar among siblings to guide the kohai to take possibly in protection and to take care of his health. The newcomers he gives guidance and advice, exerts a role model and takes responsibility for his or his kohai. Just as the father of a family or friend in an unmarried couple, one can expect from Senpai, that he pays when you go drinking together. The kōhai can rely on the help of senpai, whom he respect and a certain amount of obedience is guilty. In sports clubs, for example - still in traditional AGs at universities - take kōhai the cleanup, delegate them the senpai.
Although the senpai - kohai relationship carries the risk for abuse and can then, for example, limits of harassment, but is not to be overlooked, that it creates in many cases positive binding and "productive" human relations.
Senpai as a concept in the martial arts
In Budō Senpai refers to a student who has started earlier with the training. The word describes a subjective perspective: Classmates who started their training before the student will be referred to from this with senpai, younger, however with kōhai. Finally, pupils who started at the same time with him as designated Dōhai.
A Senpai has a role model in Budō and should the younger classmates always with advice and act to the side to join them but never intrude.
Salutation
The term is used from about the middle school as address. Unlike most other Japanese styling usual is usually only the word senpai even used (as well as Sensei ), rarely any combination of name senpai. Depending on the degree of familiarity senpai can be combined with first or last name, however, is usually the last name is used because it is according to the principle is a respectful form of address.
In martial arts, the term is also common outside Japan.