侍

Definitions

 * 1) to wait upon; to serve
 * 2) attendant; servant
 * : Shi

Kanji

 * 1) samurai
 * 2) wait upon, serve

Etymology 1
→ →  →  →

Sound shift from saburai (see below), itself the of classical verb, ultimately derived from  +.

The shift from saburaf- → samuraf- is due to the development of the in. A different development of this b is seen in.

Noun

 * 1)  a warrior class in medieval and pre-modern Japan; samurai
 * 2) one who serves nearby:
 * 3) a servant
 * 4) a retainer
 * : the Board of Retainers in the and  periods.
 * 1) an above-average person
 * 1) an above-average person

Usage notes
In modern popular usage, the terms bushi and samurai are often used in both English and Japanese somewhat loosely to refer to any soldier or warrior during Japan's feudal age (prior to the ). In historical contexts, these terms may be used with more specific senses, wherein bushi refers to any professional warrior, and samurai refers more strictly to a hereditary social class. See also

Etymology 2
→ →  →  →

The of classical verb.

Noun

 * 1)  one who serves nearby:
 * 2) a servant
 * 3) a retainer
 * 4) a warrior; particularly, a samurai
 * Saburai. サブライ(侍) 貴族, または,尊敬すべき人〔武士〕.
 * : a samurai guardhouse in the
 * : a samurai guardhouse in the
 * : a samurai guardhouse in the

Han character

 * 1) to be close, near
 * 2) to serve, to take care of, to look after
 * 3) attendant; servant
 * 4) short of 侍生, humble pronoun when speaking to a superior
 * : Shi