Term · Anime fandom
Kohai
The other half of a pair that English fandom only ever borrowed one side of.
In Otakana the clue reads: Someone junior to you at school or work
- Type
- Term
- Series
- Anime fandom
- Letters
- 5 · Hard
Kohai is the junior in a Japanese seniority relationship: the newer student, the later hire, the person who joined the club this year. It pairs with senpai, and the two words describe positions rather than personalities. Whoever arrived first is senpai for as long as both of them stay, regardless of who turns out to be better at the thing.
The pairing carries duties in both directions. A kohai uses more formal speech, handles the unglamorous work, and defers in public. A senpai is expected to teach, to cover mistakes, and to pay for dinner. School stories run on this, which is why so many anime clubs open with someone being handed a broom and an explanation at the same time.
English fandom took the senior half enthusiastically and left the junior one behind. Senpai turned into a meme; kohai stayed a vocabulary word. That is a shame, because most of the comedy in a club series comes from the junior end of the relationship, where somebody is trying very hard and getting the etiquette slightly wrong in front of everyone.
Spelling KOHAI
KOHAI is five letters, and the Japanese 後輩 has a long first vowel: kohai with a macron, or kouhai when the U is spelled out. English fandom dropped it, so the tiles want KOHAI with no U at all. Three of the five letters are vowels, and the AI ending it shares with senpai is the quickest way in.