Origin of Samurai

[Karaken]

Does anyone know where the word "Samurai" came from? If you write it in Kanji ( Chinese Character ) and read it, I think it's Bushi.. So I'm thinking you can't write Samurai in Kanji. Is this mean Samurai is pure Japanese word? I think Bushi means Samurai, Yes/No ? Any historical/linguistical background for this ?

Center

[AlexM]

Samurai apparently means "one who serves". That's all I got from the National Geographic article I read recently.

[mingshi]

You watched a bit too much The Last Samurai

In Kanji,
Samurai = 侍
Bushi = 武士

I am not sure how the meaning of these Kanji has transformed in Japan, but I can tell you their original/root meaning in a Chinese literal context.

The Kanji of Samurai, as a verb it means "to wait, to serve" etc. As a noun you can interpret it as "Servant/ maid" or "Attendent" etc.

Bushi is quite simple. Bu is the Bu of Budo, meaning "Martial"... While having Shi attached to it means martial-related person, ie. warrior etc. If Shi is attached to X, it normally means X-educated person. For example, Kenshi is a sword dude But sometimes it can also be a abbreviation of "soldier". Either way will do in our case here.

BTW Kurosawa's Seven Samurai in Japanese is called Shichinin no Samurai 七人の侍

It is an interesting thing to read dictionaries - not the English-Japanese/Chinese ones - but those give you the meaning and origins of the characters. They must have a English equivalence of that.

HTH

[Hai_hai]

Does anyone know where the word "Samurai" came from? If you write it in Kanji ( Chinese Character ) and read it, I think it's Bushi.. So I'm thinking you can't write Samurai in Kanji. Is this mean Samurai is pure Japanese word? I think Bushi means Samurai, Yes/No ? Any historical/linguistical background for this ?

Center

The first servant or personal protector was named Samurai. Legend has it, that his brother Fredurai was out getting some firewood and missed his chance and becoming a personal bodyguard for the emporer of Japan

[Karaken]

You watched a bit too much The Last Samurai

In Kanji,
Samurai = 侍
Bushi = 武士

I am not sure how the meaning of these Kanji has transformed in Japan, but I can tell you their original/root meaning in a Chinese literal context.

The Kanji of Samurai, as a verb it means "to wait, to serve" etc. As a noun you can interpret it as "Servant/ maid" or "Attendent" etc.

Bushi is quite simple. Bu is the Bu of Budo, meaning "Martial"... While having Shi attached to it means martial-related person, ie. warrior etc. If Shi is attached to X, it normally means X-educated person. For example, Kenshi is a sword dude But sometimes it can also be a abbreviation of "soldier". Either way will do in our case here.

BTW Kurosawa's Seven Samurai in Japanese is called Shichinin no Samurai 七人の侍

It is an interesting thing to read dictionaries - not the English-Japanese/Chinese ones - but those give you the meaning and origins of the characters. They must have a English equivalence of that.

HTH

Normally, there are some relationship in Kanji sounds in China and Japan ( Not always but Bushi will probably sound not too different in China ). It just seems
there are too many syllables in samurai for one Kanji character - what does it sound like in China?

Center.

[Nanbanjin]

Normally, there are some relationship in Kanji sounds in China and Japan ( Not always but Bushi will probably sound not too different in China ). It just seems
there are too many syllables in samurai for one Kanji character - what does it sound like in China?

Center.

Samurai can also be written simply as [ 士 ]
In this case and in the case of [ 侍 ] the reading is the kunyomi, or the Japanese reading.
The Chinese reading or the onyomi for 士 is "shi"
For 侍 the onyomi is "ji"

It would be interesting to hear a native Chinese perspective.

[Karaken]

Samurai can also be written simply as [ 士 ]
In this case and in the case of [ 侍 ] the reading is the kunyomi, or the Japanese reading.
The Chinese reading or the onyomi for 士 is "shi"
For 侍 the onyomi is "ji"

It would be interesting to hear a native Chinese perspective.

Do we know when the term "Samurai" was first used?

Center

[mystic_kendoka]

actually, in this case bu means war, and shi means lord


so it would mean -i think-a warlord or warrior

[Eldritch Knight]

Shi doesn't mean "lord" when spelled 士 so much as it means "earth", indicating that bushi are ground troops.

[AlexM]

Shi doesn't mean "lord" when spelled 士 so much as it means "earth", indicating that bushi are ground troops.

Err... Ground troops? As opposed to what? All those parachuting divisions used in ancient Japan? The Shogun's own airforce? ("Look out! The swallows are coming back for another pecking attack!")

I suppose that you could mean "ground" as opposed to cavalry and archers/artillery (that is to say cheap Portugese muskets). But that would make them "infantry" so to speak... i.e. foot soldiers. "Ground troops" is a modern term (at least in the West).

I'm sceptical that the "士" has anything to do with the notion of "ground troops" or "ground forces" to differentiate them from the other forces available to feudal warlords (which also fight on the ground).

[Kent Enfield]

Shi doesn't mean "lord" when spelled 士 so much as it means "earth", indicating that bushi are ground troops.

You're confusing 土 (dou/tsuchi) and 士 (shi). The former means dirt or earth. The second means gentleman or scholar, or is often an abreviation of bushi in compounds.

[slidercrank]

Samurai can also be written simply as [ 士 ]
In this case and in the case of [ 侍 ] the reading is the kunyomi, or the Japanese reading.
The Chinese reading or the onyomi for 士 is "shi"
For 侍 the onyomi is "ji"

It would be interesting to hear a native Chinese perspective.

In Mandarin Chinese, 士 and 侍 have the same pronounciation, namely, shi4 (the forth tone). However, Mandarin Chinese is far from the ancient Chinese that Japanese emissaries heard when they came to China during the Tang dynasty. I understand that the present day southern Chinese dialects spoken in Guangdong and Fujian (as well as Hakka, a dialect spoken by Chinese nobles and intellectuals who were driven to southern China by the northern barbarian invaders during the Song dynasty) are more similar to the ancient Chinese. Thus, Tang poetries should be read with those dialects than with Mandarin.

[xvikingx]

Sorry I don't remember exactly which book I got this from, so I can't give reference, or quote it word for word. But as I recall...

According to Shinto legend elemental gods would give warriors supernatural weapons. One of these warriors, Prince Yamamoto (who would later be a model for future samurai), was given a sword called the "Cloud Cluster" to fight back the Ainu. I guess his father (the Emperor) was the first to apply the title/term shogun (将軍）,which litterally means barbarian-subdueing general.

I felt kind of gave a good feeling about the origin (or beginning of the need for) samurai or warriors.

[kawa]

Shi doesn't mean "lord" when spelled 士 so much as it means "earth", indicating that bushi are ground troops.

Hum.... I don't think you are Japanese, Korean or Chinese???

土 = earth
士 = Person or person with good knowledge of...

Look at them carefully!

[ZrJn89]

Does anyone know where the word "Samurai" came from? If you write it in Kanji ( Chinese Character ) and read it, I think it's Bushi.. So I'm thinking you can't write Samurai in Kanji. Is this mean Samurai is pure Japanese word? I think Bushi means Samurai, Yes/No ? Any historical/linguistical background for this ?

Center

samurai originats from the word "saburai" which literally means to serve. The word dates back to the eight century AD when the emperor ruled directly.