Senpai or Sempai.

[nzproud]

I often see people writing "Sempai". I think that's how it's pronouced in English. I tend to write "senpai" because it's written like that in Roma-ji.
Do you use "Senpai" or "Sempai"? and why?

[vapor]

hmmm.....I actually had to stop and say it a few times, to see why the "M" and "N" could be switched around....

I guess phonetically, it sounds more like an "M"...but that of course does not follow the literal translation of the hiragana "せんぱい”　（先輩）

vapor

[Aunty Ichigeki]

I was told the n & the m sound were indistinguishable in the Japanese language & that both spellings were okay... by an instructor who frequently says 'hmm... I think if you think that then it is probably correct & if someone else thinks something else then they are probably correct too'!

[Bloke]

I was told that its written Senpai but pronounced Sempai.

[vapor]

Originally Posted by Aunty Ichigeki

I was told the n & the m sound were indistinguishable in the Japanese language & that both spellings were okay... by an instructor who frequently says 'hmm... I think if you think that then it is probably correct & if someone else thinks something else then they are probably correct too'!

That is quite true...m/n about the same thing.

there are sounds in Japanese that don't exist in English...

Like the sounds that start with "r"
ら、り、る、れ、ろ
ra, ri, ru, re, ro

They are not not pronounced with a strong "r", but it is actually more of a mixture of the sounds of an R,D, and L....

Think about that for a while, and start practicing!!

vapor

[Aunty Ichigeki]

"Think about that for a while, and start practicing!!"

Osu!

[Shokei Marcsui]

Originally Posted by Vapor

Like the sounds that start with "r"
ら、り、る、れ、ろ
ra, ri, ru, re, ro

Is that why people make fun of asians when they say things like "JP PT onry"?

Well they did in the mmorpg (ffxi) I used to play anyways...

Sorry, I was just poking fun at the other 16% of my ethnicity. The other rest of me is filipino.

Tomato... Potato?

[vapor]

How did I know that this would be the direction of the conversation!!!

There is no L sound in Japanese-so, that is why it is a difficult sound to master....it comes out as the r/l/d ish mixed sound...

vapor

[Shokei Marcsui]

HA... Thanks for the incite Vapor.

Filipinos substitute F sounds for P sounds.

"Please becarepul bepore you pall in the pool."

[schuyler]

So the consensus is Senpai? A Japanese student I trained with told me that was the correct spelling, but it seems everyone here in the States spells it Sempai.

[kyofighter]

I was told Sempai ...in Europe

[psychoshonen]

In Japanese, N and M are distinguishable sounds (there are both n- and m- lines in hiragana and katana). However, the single n/m sound (not followed by a vowel, written ん in hiragana) is usually transcribed as n, but can represent both sounds, and varies due to both word and regional pronounciation. So in theory, either could be correct, and the sound difference is minute as is. (bear in mind, i'm no expert, and have never been to japan, but am a university student studying japanese and linguistics, so things i've picked up from classes. however, as everyone who has ever attended school knows, sometimes profs are full of shit).

hope that helps (though, as a typical student, i've simply further outlined the problem, instead of giving a solution)

senpai sure

[Sonik]

The correct writting is "senpai" but it's pronounced "sempai". I also don't think it's correct to write "jiu-jitsu" or "ju-jitsu" but instead "ju-jutsu" or "jyu-jutsu". In fact "jiu-jitsu" is how portuguese native speakers (brazilians to be more precise) adopted this word in their language as they did with "karate" writting it like "caraté".

[boldbhoy]

Originally Posted by Shokei Marcsui

HA... Thanks for the incite Vapor.

Filipinos substitute F sounds for P sounds.

"Please becarepul bepore you pall in the pool."

And also he and she, this can get very confusing. I think there are no seperate words for he and she in Tagalog.

[ksan]

I was told it was Senpai (writen)...

Osu

[Tameshigiri]

Good post.

And excellente awnsers.

I would like to add: To who you call SENPAI in your dojo.

I see dojo call Senpai a all the colors belts.

Others only black blet and up.

Others from 1st KYU.

[ksan]

1) All shodan and nidan`s are senpai
2) Everyone of a higher grade is senpai (ussually used by kyu grades when adressing a higher kyu grade)
3) Everyone who practises karate longer than you or who is older than you can also be adressed as senpai (though this is less common)

Here is a good article about it: Canadian Kyokushinkai-kan Karate Organization - Kyokushin - Sempai/Kohai Relationships

osu

[Satori]

We (Seido Juku) use Senpai up to sandan, though I know this is not kyokushin convention.

[andy83]

Like almost every Japanese titles, there're more meanings and interpretations for each title.
Sempai or Senpai, in Kyokushin, is used to indicate Shodan and Nidan grade.
There're two different version:
-relative version, that means Senior Grade and is used to address older or of senior rank. While it can be applied among the yudansha, a sandan might call a yondan by the title of sempai, it is unlikely, since they already have a title which supersedes it.
-absolute version, is used to indicate people with the grade of shodan or nidan.
Therefore everyone from 10th kyu up to 10th dan would call such people (even or not shodan and nidan holders, and sometimes higher) Senpai.