Samurai Means One Who Serves
A samurai was a member of Japan's warrior class. The name comes from a verb meaning to serve, and the plural in English does not add an s.
A samurai was a member of the hereditary warrior class of Japan, serving a lord. The name says so: it derives from a verb meaning to serve or attend. The class was formally abolished in the 1870s during the Meiji reforms, and its members moved into government, business and the new army.
- A Japanese warrior. *A samurai sword.*
- Samurai as a modifier. *The samurai code.*
- Ronin — a samurai with no lord. *A masterless ronin.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | samurai | A samurai family. |
| Plural | samurai | Three samurai. |
| Related | ronin | A wandering ronin. |
| Related | bushido | The way of bushido. |
| Related | katana | A curved katana. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The samurai served a daimyo.A regional lord.
- Samurai were abolished as a class in the 1870s.During the Meiji Restoration.
- A ronin had no master.Through death or dismissal.
Related terms
- Bushido — the warrior code, codified largely in later centuries
- Daimyo — a feudal lord commanding samurai
- Katana — the curved single-edged sword
- Shogun — the military ruler of Japan
- Meiji Restoration — the 1868 change that ended the system
From Japanese *samurai*, from *saburau*, to serve or attend. English borrowed it in the nineteenth century and, as with most Japanese nouns, uses the same form for the plural.
What is the plural of samurai?
Samurai. Japanese does not mark plurals, and English keeps the borrowed form unchanged.
Was bushido an ancient code?
Its principles are old, but the systematic written code is largely a product of the peaceful Edo period and of later writers.