老師

Chinese

		old; aged; venerable old; aged; venerable; outdated; experienced; (affectionate prefix)	a division (milit.); teacher; master a division (milit.); teacher; master; expert; model
trad. (老師)		老	師
simp. (老师)		老	师
alternative forms		老濕／老湿 slang

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): lǎoshī

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄠˇ ㄕ

  (Chengdu, SP): nao³ si¹

  (Dungan, Cyrillic): лошы (lošɨ, I-I)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou, Jyutping): lou⁵ si¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): lau² lhu¹

• Gan (Wiktionary): lau³ si¹
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): ló-sṳ̂
• Min Dong (BUC): lō̤-sṳ̆
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): lāu-su / lǎu-sir / lāu-sir / ló-su / nó͘-sir / nó͘-su

  (Teochew, Peng'im): lao² se¹ / lao² su¹

• Wu (Wiktionary): 'lau sr (T1); lau sr (T3)
• Xiang (Wiktionary): lau³ si¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: lǎoshī
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄠˇ ㄕ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: laoshy
    • Tongyong Pinyin: lǎoshih
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: nao³ si¹
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: laos
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nau⁵³ sz̩⁵⁵/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic: лошы (lošɨ, I-I)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɔ²⁴ ʂʐ̩²⁴/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: lou⁵ si¹
    • Yale: lóuh sī
    • Cantonese Pinyin: lou⁵ si¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: lou⁵ xi¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lou̯¹³ siː⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: lau² lhu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lau⁵⁵ ɬu³³/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: lau³ si¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lau²¹³⁻¹³ sz̩⁴²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ló-sṳ̂
    • Hakka Romanization System: lo` sii´
    • Hagfa Pinyim: lo³ si¹
    • Sinological IPA: /lo³¹ sɨ²⁴/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: lō̤-sṳ̆
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /l̃o³³⁻²¹ ^(s-)ly⁵⁵/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Taipei, Yilan, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Taichung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lāu-su
    • Tâi-lô: lāu-su
    • Phofsit Daibuun: lauxsw
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /laʊ³³⁻²¹ su⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /laʊ³³⁻¹¹ su⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Lukang)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lǎu-sir
    • Tâi-lô: lǎu-sir
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /laʊ²² sɯ³³/
  • (Hokkien: Sanxia)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lāu-sir
    • Tâi-lô: lāu-sir
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, dated in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ló-su
    • Tâi-lô: ló-su
    • Phofsit Daibuun: loysw
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /lo⁵³⁻⁴⁴ su⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /lɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ su⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: nó͘-sir
    • Tâi-lô: nóo-sir
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /nɔ̃⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ sɯ³³/
  • (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: nó͘-su
    • Tâi-lô: nóo-su
    • Phofsit Daibuun: nofsw
    • IPA (Taipei): /nɔ̃⁵³⁻⁴⁴ su⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /nɔ̃⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ su⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: lao² se¹ / lao² su¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: láu sṳ / láu su
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lau⁵²⁻³⁵ sɯ³³/, /lau⁵²⁻³⁵ su³³/

Note: lao2 se1 - Chaozhou.

• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: 'lau sr (T1); lau sr (T3)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʔlɔ⁵⁵ sz̩²¹/, /lɔ²² sz̩⁴⁴/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: lau³ si¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key) (old-style): /lɒu⁴¹ si³³/
    • Sinological IPA ^(key) (new-style): /lɒu⁴¹ ɕi³³/

Noun

老師

1. teacher (Classifier: 個／个; 位; 名)

   特教老師 / 特教老师  ―  tèjiào lǎoshī  ―  special ed teacher

   向老師請教 / 向老师请教  ―  xiàng lǎoshī qǐngjiào  ―  to ask for advice from the teacher

   去學校當實習老師 [MSC, trad.]
   去学校当实习老师 [MSC, simp.]

   qù xuéxiào dāng shíxí lǎoshī [Pinyin]

   to do teaching work experience at a school

   我的老師給我很大壓力。 [MSC, trad.]
   我的老师给我很大压力。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ de lǎoshī gěi wǒ hěn dà yālì. [Pinyin]

   My teacher puts me under a lot of pressure.

2. (honorific, polite) a term of address for an adult

   曹老師業餘喜愛閱讀，尤愛讀傳記、歷史、經濟和國際時事書刊。 [MSC, trad.]
   曹老师业余喜爱阅读，尤爱读传记、历史、经济和国际时事书刊。 [MSC, simp.]

   Cáo lǎoshī yèyú xǐ'ài yuèdú, yóu ài dú zhuànjì, lìshǐ, jīngjì hé guójì shíshì shūkān. [Pinyin]

   Teacher Cao loves reading in his spare time, especially biographies, and books related to history, economics and international current affairs.

Synonyms

• (teacher):

edit

• 師長／师长 (shīzhǎng) (honorific, polite)
• 教員／教员 (jiàoyuán)

• 教師／教师 (jiàoshī)
• 教習／教习 (jiàoxí) (dated)

Dialectal synonyms of 老師 (“teacher”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		師
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		教師, 老師
Mandarin	Beijing	老師
	Taiwan	老師
	Jinan	老師, 先生
	Xi'an	老師, 先生
	Wuhan	老師, 教師
	Chengdu	老師, 先生, 教師, 教書匠 derogatory, 叫姑姑 derogatory
	Yangzhou	教師, 先生, 老師
	Hefei	教師, 老師, 先生
	Malaysia	老師
	Singapore	老師
Cantonese	Guangzhou	老師, 先生, 教師, 教書佬
	Hong Kong	老師, 先生, 阿Sir male, 搣匙 female
	Taishan	老師, 先生
	Yangjiang	老師, 先生
	Qinzhou	老師
	Qinzhou (Xiniujiao)	老師, 先生
	Beihai	老師, 先生
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	老師, 先生
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	老師
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	老師
	Singapore (Guangfu)	老師
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	先生
	Móng Cái	老師, 先生
Gan	Nanchang	老師, 先生
Hakka	Meixian	老師, 先生, 教師
Jin	Taiyuan	老師, 先生
Min Bei	Jian'ou	老師, 先生
Min Dong	Fuzhou	先生, 老師
	Matsu	先生
Min Nan	Xiamen	先生, 老師, 先生儂
	Quanzhou	先生, 老師, 先生儂
	Zhangzhou	先生, 老師, 先生儂, 教學仔, 教冊仔
	Taipei	先生, 老師
	Kaohsiung	先生, 老師
	Tainan	先生, 老師
	Taichung	先生, 老師
	Hsinchu	先生
	Lukang	先生, 老師
	Sanxia	先生, 老師
	Yilan	先生, 老師
	Kinmen	先生
	Magong	先生
	Penang (Hokkien)	先生, 老師
	Singapore (Hokkien)	先生, 先生儂, 老師
	Manila (Hokkien)	先生
	Guilin (Biyange)	先生
	Qinzhou (Liwu)	老師
	Chaozhou	先生, 老師
	Shantou	先生, 老師, 教師
	Chaoyang	老師
	Wenchang	老師
	Qionghai	老師
Zhongshan Min	Sanxiang	先生
Wu	Shanghai	老師, 教師, 教書先生
	Suzhou	教師, 教書先生
	Wenzhou	教師, 教書先生, 先生
Xiang	Changsha	老師, 教書先生
	Shuangfeng	老師, 教書先生

Derived terms

• 代課老師／代课老师 (dàikè lǎoshī)
• 啞老師／哑老师

• 大體老師／大体老师 (dàtǐlǎoshī)
• 還給老師／还给老师 (huán gěi lǎoshī)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (老師):

• → Japanese: 老(ろう)師(し) (rōshi)
• → Korean: 노사 (老師, nosa)
• → Vietnamese: lão sư (老師)

Others:

• → Bouyei: laojsiy
• → Zhuang: lauxsae

References

• “Entry #2712”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (in Chinese and Min Nan), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2011.
• Duffus, William (1883) , “teach”, in English-Chinese Vocabulary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Swatow, Swatow: English Presbyterian Mission Press, page 266

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
老	師
ろう Grade: 4	し Grade: 5
on’yomi

Etymology

/rauɕi/ → /rɔːɕi/ → /roːɕi/

From Middle Chinese compound 老師 (MC lɑu^X ʃˠiɪ). Compare modern Mandarin 老師 (lǎoshī).

Pronunciation

• On’yomi
• (Tokyo) ろ​ーし [róꜜòshì] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɾo̞ːɕi]

Noun

老(ろう)師(し) • (rōshi) ^{←らうし (rausi)?}

1. an old master or teacher
2. (Buddhism) an elderly monk, especially one who is learned and virtuous
3. (from the way that 師 (shi) can also mean "a military group") the exhaustion of military troops from fighting a protracted war

See also

• 師匠(ししょう) (shishō)
• 先生(せんせい) (sensei)

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Korean

Hanja in this term
老	師

Noun

老師 • (nosa) (hangeul 노사)

1. Hanja form^? of 노사 (“an elderly monk; a sage; an elderly teacher or master”).