Addressing Others

Referring to Others

Dojos often have different rules about how students and instructors refer to each other. In some dojos, everyone is on a first-name basis. Others are very strict. As a beginner, you’ll catch on to how things are done in your dojo, but the information below will help you understand some of the terms involved.

Your Peers

In English, we often refer to our peers on a first-name basis, but in more formal settings, we add “Mr.” or “Miss” before someone’s last name, just to be polite. Thus Ben Smith becomes “Mr. Smith” and “Deb Jones” becomes “Miss Jones.”

Japanese does the same thing by adding “san” after the name, so Ben Smith becomes “Smith-san” and Deb Jones becomes “Jones-san.”

Sensei

In karate, you should refer to your instructor as “sensei.” Contrary to popular belief, “Sensei” doesn’t mean “master.” Literally, it means “one how has come before.” More loosely translated, it just means “guide.”

Thus, just as you’d refer to your baseball coach as “coach”, or your university instructor as “professor”, you shouldn’t feel strange referring to your karate instructor as “sensei.”

In some dojos there is only one sensei. In others, everyone on the teaching staff is called sensei. If there are several instructors present, you should add the person’s last name, just to be clear. So you’d say “Sensei Smith” or “Sensei Jones”, just like you’d say “Coach Smith” or “Coach Jones.”

Your Seniors

Some dojos refer to everyone other than the instructor using the “-san” method described above. Other dojos are bit more formal and refer to senior students as “Senpai.”

Outside the Dojo

All of this applies only in the dojo. If you see your instructor at the grocery store, it’s okay to say, “Hi, sensei!”, but it’s certainly not necessary.