# 老師
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): lǎoshī
       (Zhuyin): ㄌㄠˇ ㄕ
    (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): nao$^3$ si$^1$
    (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): лошы (lošɨ, I-I)
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): lou$^5$ si$^1$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): lau$^2$ lhu$^1$
* Gan (Wiktionary): lau$^3$ si$^1$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): ló-sṳ̂
    (Hailu, HRS): lo$^ˊ$ sii$^ˋ$
    (Meixian, Guangdong): lau$^3$ si$^1$
* Eastern Min (BUC): lō̤-sṳ̆
* Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): lor$^3$ so$^1$ / lao$^5$ sai$^1$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): lāu-su / lǎu-sir / lāu-sir / ló-su / nó͘-sir / nó͘-su
    (Teochew, Peng'im): lao$^2$ se$^1$ / lao$^2$ su$^1$
* Wu (Northern, Wugniu): $^1$lau-sy; $^6$lau-sy / $^1$lau$_6$-sy$_1$
* Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): lau$^3$ si$^1$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: lǎoshī
*** Zhuyin: ㄌㄠˇ ㄕ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: lǎoshih
*** Wade–Giles: lao$^3$-shih$^1$
*** Yale: lǎu-shr̄
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: laoshy
*** Palladius: лаоши (laoši)
*** Sinological IPA : /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/
** (Chengdu)
*** Sichuanese Pinyin: nao$^3$ si$^1$
*** Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: laos
*** Sinological IPA : /nau⁵³ sz̩⁵⁵/
** (Dungan)
*** Cyrillic and Wiktionary: лошы (lošɨ, I-I)
*** Sinological IPA : /lɔ²⁴ ʂʐ̩²⁴/
    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: lou$^5$ si$^1$
*** Yale: lóuh sī
*** Cantonese Pinyin: lou$^5$ si$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: lou$^5$ xi$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /lou̯¹³ siː⁵⁵/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: lau$^2$ lhu$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /lau⁵⁵ ɬu³³/
* Gan
** (Nanchang)
*** Wiktionary: lau$^3$ si$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /lau²¹³⁻¹³ sz̩⁴²/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ló-sṳ̂
*** Hakka Romanization System: lo$^ˋ$ sii$^ˊ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: lo$^3$ si$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /lo³¹ sɨ²⁴/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: lo$^ˊ$ sii$^ˋ$
*** Sinological IPA: /lo²⁴⁻³³ sɨ⁵³/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: lau$^3$ si$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /lau³¹ sz̩⁴⁴/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: lō̤-sṳ̆
*** Sinological IPA : /l̃o³³⁻²¹ $^{(s-)}$ly⁵⁵/
* Puxian Min
** (Putian)
*** Pouseng Ping'ing: lor$^3$ so$^1$ [Phonetic: lor$^5$ so$^1$]
*** Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: lô̤-seo
*** Sinological IPA : /lɒ⁴⁵³⁻²¹ ɬo⁵³³/
** (Xianyou)
*** Pouseng Ping'ing: lor$^3$ so$^1$ [Phonetic: lor$^5$ so$^1$]
*** Sinological IPA : /lɒ³³²⁻²¹ ɬɵ⁵³³/
** (Putian, Xianyou)
*** Pouseng Ping'ing: lao$^5$ sai$^1$
*** Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: lāu-sai
*** Sinological IPA : /lau²¹ ɬai⁵³³/
* lor3 so1 - Taoist clergy leader, (Xianyou) teacher;
* lao5 sai1 - a term of address for a master.

### Noun

老師
* 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
       qù xuéxiào dāng shíxí lǎoshī [Pinyin]
       to do teaching work experience at a school
       Wǒ de lǎoshī gěi wǒ hěn dà yālì. [Pinyin]
       My teacher puts me under a lot of pressure.
       Xiànzài yǒu hěn duō shīshēng dōu liánmíng xiěxìn yāoqiú qǔxiāo lǎoshī de jiàoshòu zīgé. [Pinyin]
       Many teachers and students are now jointly writing to request the cancellation of the teacher’s professor eligibility.
* a term of address for a teacher
       Zài Chén lǎoshī de chūnfēnghuàyǔ xià, wǒ xuéhuì le rúhé dàirénjiēwù. [Pinyin]
       Under the positive influence of Teacher Chen, I've learnt to how to get along with others.
* (honorific, polite, chiefly Southwestern Mandarin) a term of address for an adult, particularly a writer or an artist
       Cáo lǎoshī yèyú xǐ'ài yuèdú, yóu ài dú zhuànjì, lìshǐ, jīngjì hé guójì shíshì shūkān. [Pinyin]
       Mr Cao loves reading in his spare time, especially biographies, and books related to history, economics and international current affairs.
* (Puxian Min) old master (a term of address for an old person skilled at a particular art or activity)
* (Puxian Min) Taoist clergy leader
* (Internet slang, humorous) a term of address for a Japanese porn actress
    蒼老師／苍老师 ― Cāng lǎoshī ― Ms Ao (Sora Aoi)

#### Synonyms

* (teacher):
* 園丁 / 园丁 (yuándīng) (figurative)
* 師長 / 师长 (shīzhǎng) (honorific, polite)
* 教員 / 教员 (jiàoyuán)
* 教師 / 教师 (jiàoshī)
* 教習 / 教习 (jiàoxí) (dated)
| Variety | Location | Words |
| Classical Chinese | Classical Chinese | 師, 先生 |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 教師, 教員, 老師, 先生 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 老師 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 老師 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Malaysia | 老師 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 老師 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 老師, 先生 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 老師, 先生 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 老師, 先生, 教師, 教書匠 derogatory, 叫姑姑 derogatory |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Wuhan | 老師, 教師 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Dagudi (Maliba) | 老師 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Reshuitang (Longling) | 老師 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Mae Salong (Lancang) | 老師 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Mae Sai (Tengchong) | 老師 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yangzhou | 教師, 先生, 老師 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Hefei | 教師, 老師, 先生 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 老師, 先生, 教師, 教書佬, 阿Sir male |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 老師, 先生, 阿Sir male, 搣時 female |
| Cantonese | Taishan | 老師, 先生 |
| Cantonese | Yangjiang | 老師, 先生 |
| Cantonese | Qinzhou | 老師 |
| Cantonese | Qinzhou (Xiniujiao) | 老師, 先生 |
| Cantonese | Beihai | 老師, 先生 |
| Cantonese | Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô) | 老師, 先生 |
| Cantonese | Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà) | 老師 |
| Cantonese | Fangchenggang (Fangcheng) | 老師 |
| Cantonese | Singapore (Guangfu) | 老師 |
| Cantonese | Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu) | 先生 |
| Cantonese | 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 |
| Northern Min | Jian'ou | 老師, 先生 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 先生, 老師 |
| Eastern Min | Matsu | 先生 |
| Eastern Min | Singapore (Fuqing) | 先生 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 先生, 老師, 先生儂 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 先生, 老師, 先生儂 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 先生, 老師, 先生儂, 教學仔, 教冊仔, 教學仔仙 derogatory |
| Southern Min | Taipei | 先生, 老師 |
| Southern Min | New Taipei (Sanxia) | 先生, 老師 |
| Southern Min | Kaohsiung | 先生, 老師 |
| Southern Min | Yilan | 先生, 老師 |
| Southern Min | Changhua (Lukang) | 先生, 老師 |
| Southern Min | Taichung | 先生, 老師 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 先生, 老師 |
| Southern Min | Hsinchu | 先生 |
| Southern Min | Kinmen | 先生 |
| Southern Min | Penghu (Magong) | 先生 |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 先生, 老師 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 先生, 先生儂, 老師 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 先生 |
| Southern Min | Guilin (Biyange) | 先生 |
| Southern Min | Qinzhou (Liwu) | 老師 |
| Southern Min | Chaozhou | 先生, 老師 |
| Southern Min | Shantou | 先生, 老師, 教師 |
| Southern Min | Shantou (Chaoyang) | 老師 |
| Southern Min | Wenchang | 老師 |
| Southern Min | Qionghai | 老師 |
| Puxian Min | Putian | 先生, 教書阿 |
| Puxian Min | Putian (Donghai, Chengxiang) | 先生 |
| Puxian Min | Putian (Jiangkou, Hanjiang) | 先生 |
| Puxian Min | Putian (Nanri, Xiuyu) | 先生, 教書厄 |
| Puxian Min | Xianyou | 老師, 先生, 教師 |
| Puxian Min | Xianyou (Fengting) | 老師, 先生, 教師 |
| Puxian Min | Xianyou (Youyang) | 老師, 先生, 教書厄 |
| Zhongshan Min | Zhongshan (Sanxiang) | 先生 |
| Wu | Shanghai | 老師, 教師, 教書先生 |
| Wu | Suzhou | 教師, 教書先生 |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 教師, 教書先生, 先生 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 老師, 教書先生 |
| Xiang | 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 (dàtǐ lǎoshī)
* 托尼老師 / 托尼老师 (tuōní lǎoshī)
* 還給老師 / 还给老师 (huán gěi lǎoshī)

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 老(ろう)師(し) (rōshi)
* → Korean: 로사(老師) (rosa), 노사(老師) (nosa)
* → Vietnamese: lão sư (老師)
Others:
* → Bouyei: laojsiy
* → Lü: ᦟᧁᦌᦹᧈ (lawsue¹)
* → Wutunhua: loshe
* → Zhuang: lauxsae

### References

* “老師”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.
* Duffus, William (1883) “teach”, in English-Chinese Vocabulary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Swatow, Swatow: English Presbyterian Mission Press, page 266
* 莆田市政协文化文史和学习委员会 [Culture, History and Learning Committee of Putian CPPCC], editor (2021), “老师”, in 莆仙方言大词典 [Comprehensive Dictionary of Puxian Dialect] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), Xiamen University Press, →ISBN, pages 349, 366.

## 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 lawX srij). Compare modern Mandarin 老師 / 老师 (lǎoshī).

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ろーし [róꜜòshì] (Atamadaka –)
* IPA: [ɾo̞ːɕi]

### Noun

老(ろう)師(し) • (rōshi)
* an old master or teacher
* (Buddhism) an elderly monk, especially one who is learned and virtuous
* (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)

### References

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

## Korean

Hanja in this term :
| 老 | 師 |

### Noun

老師 • (nosa) (hangeul 노사)
* hanja form of 노사 (“an elderly monk; a sage; an elderly teacher or master”)