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恩師 (おんし) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Meanings 1
noun
former teacher ; mentor
honorific or respectful (sonkeigo)
Honorific term for a teacher to whom one feels a deep sense of gratitude, typically a former teacher or mentor. Used when speaking respectfully about one's own teacher.
彼かれ は 大だい 学がく 時じ 代だい の 恩おん 師し を 訪たず ね た 。
He visited his mentor from his university days.
Kanji 恩 grace, kindness, goodness Similar words 先せん 生せい 先生 is a general respectful term for a teacher, doctor, or master, while 恩師 specifically emphasizes a personal debt of gratitude to a former teacher.
師し 匠しょう 師匠 refers to a master in traditional arts or crafts, often with a long-term apprenticeship relationship, whereas 恩師 is broader and focuses on gratitude in an academic or mentoring context.
Etymology Compound of 恩 (おん, 'grace, obligation') and 師 (し, 'teacher, master'). The combination directly conveys the idea of a teacher to whom one owes a debt of gratitude.
