Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kohai

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.36 in modern English

Syllables: ko-hai
IPA

12

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A junior member of a group in Japanese arts; mentee.

noun

An underclassman or younger student.

Slang

Example Sentences

"Juniors may forget their obligation to be in turn good seniors. Seniors may demand too much of their juniors. Some kohai are ungrateful. The system of interrelationship, however, continues to follow the form set by the ideal of unselfish sympathy and involvement."
"The students always sit in order of seniority, both in and out of the training hall, and the kohai are always at the beck and call of the senpai."
"Whereas kohai are often expected to obey their sempai at some cost to their personal welfare, sempai assume a corresponding obligation."

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 後(こう)輩(はい) (kōhai, literally “later cohort”). Doublet of hoobae.

Origin

Source language: Japanese

Word Breakdown

Root: -

Usage

Slang

Inflected Forms

kohais (plural) kōhai (alternative) kouhai (alternative)

Antonyms

senpai

Questions

What does kohai mean?: A junior member of a group in Japanese arts; mentee.
Where does kohai come from?: It is traced to Japanese.

How to pronounce kohai

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