senpai
Respected older student
Senpai is a Japanese term for someone senior to you in school, work, or a shared activity—an upperclassman, mentor, or more experienced colleague.
English speakers encounter it mainly through anime and manga, where it often appears in the phrase notice me, senpai, expressing a junior's longing for acknowledgment from someone they admire.
This has spawned ironic internet use where senpai represents any object of unrequited attention or crush.
Lower in standing
- apprenticeLearner bound to employer
- protégéPerson guided by expert
- guidanceAdvice for decisions
- tutelageGuided instruction, oversight
mentorship · coaching · teaching · training · nurturing · advising · wisdom · experience
Lower in standing
- seniorHigher in rank
- upperclassmanJunior or senior student
- rankPosition in hierarchy
- statusOne's relative position
seniority · precedence · respect · deference · honorific · workplace · school · club
Compress with force
- infatuationShort-lived intense attraction
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
- adorationProfound loving regard
- reverenceProfound admiring respect
respect · esteem · admiration · idolization · longing · affection · confession · blushing
junior
Lower in standing
- apprenticeLearner bound to employer
- protégéPerson guided by expert
- guidanceAdvice for decisions
tutelage · mentorship · coaching · teaching · training · nurturing · advising · wisdom · experience · knowledge
junior
Lower in standing
- seniorHigher in rank
- upperclassmanJunior or senior student
- rankPosition in hierarchy
status · seniority · precedence · respect · deference · honorific · workplace · school · club · organization
crush
Compress with force
- infatuationShort-lived intense attraction
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
- adorationProfound loving regard
reverence · respect · esteem · admiration · idolization · longing · affection · confession · blushing · fandom
manga
Japanese comic medium
- otakuObsessive anime enthusiast
- waifuFictional anime sweetheart
- yandereViolently possessive romantic archetype
shoujo · slice-of-life · trope · Japanese · honorific · subtitles · dubbed · fandom · cosplay · convention
- Japanese wordsanime, bento, bonsai, futon, geisha
- martial artskarate, taekwondo, judo, kung fu, aikido
- mentorshipmentor, apprentice, pupil, student, teacher-student
- Karatekarate, kata, kumite, dojo, gi
- Japanese mannersbowing, honorifics, gift giving, removing shoes, shoe removal
- Japanese pop cultureanime, manga, otaku, cosplay, kawaii
senpaijunior
Lower in standing
underclassman · freshman · newcomer · newbie · first-year