先輩
せんぱい · senpai · JLPT N4 · noun
group
🎓 先輩 = before (先) + fellow (輩): the fellow who came before you
先 means earlier or ahead, as in 先生 (teacher, literally born before). 輩 means peers or fellows. So a senpai is a peer who joined the school, club or company ahead of you. Its opposite is 後輩 (kōhai), the fellow who came after.
先 — 𠂉 (person variant) on top + 儿 (legs) below
先 originally depicted a person with a foot or step shown above the legs 儿, suggesting someone walking ahead. From this image of going before others came the meanings 'first,' 'earlier,' and 'ahead.' The modern shape preserves the 'legs' radical underneath.