侍・士|さむらいsamurai[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounwarrior (esp. of military retainers of daimyos in the Edo period); samurai
   『うぐいす侍さむらい』人間にんげん愛あいとユーモア溢あふれる侍さむらい物語ものがたり。↗

   "The Nightingale Samurai" is a samurai tale full of humanity and humour.
2. nounperson with a strong backbone; person that does incredible things; person of considerable talent

• Synonym武士ぶしNeutralThe formal, standard term for the samurai class, as in 「武士道」. 「侍」 leans toward Edo-period retainers of a daimyo, and can also mean a person of strong backbone.
• Synonym武者むしゃWrittenWritten word for a warrior or man of arms, stressing martial skill and the battle image, as in 「落ち武者」; 「侍」 leans toward Edo-period daimyo retainers.
• Synonym武家ぶけNeutralRefers to samurai families and the samurai class, as in 「武家屋敷」; leans toward family lineage and standing.
• Related士人しじんWrittenWritten word for a samurai or a person of learning and culture; rare in modern usage.
• Related士しWrittenWritten word for the samurai class; also a suffix for licensed professionals, as in 「弁護士」.
• Antonym庶民しょみんNeutralOrdinary people, the common folk — the opposite of 「侍」, which stands for the samurai class.
• Antonym平民へいみんNeutralThe commoner class, opposed to 「侍」; historically, the commoner status from the Meiji era on.

Use 「侍」 for an Edo-period samurai or, figuratively, a person of backbone, as in 「侍ジャパン」 and 「ラストサムライ」. For the formal term say 「武士」; for a warrior in battle, 「武者」. The opposites are 「庶民」 and 「平民」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 江戸えど時代じだいに大名だいみょうに仕つかえた武士ぶし。刀かたなを持もって戦たたかった身分みぶんの高たかい兵士へいし。
2. 強つよい意志いしを持もち、大おおきなことを成し遂なしとげる能力のうりょくのある人ひと。