1.
pupil; disciple; student (of a master or school)
A person who studies under a particular master or teacher, or the group of such students collectively. Used in traditional arts, martial arts, academic lineages, and similar contexts where there is a clear master-student relationship.
有名な師匠の門下に入る。
Become a disciple of a famous master.
この流派の門下には多くの名人がいる。
This school has many accomplished practitioners among its disciples.
先生の門下として長年修行を積み、ようやく免許皆伝を得た。
After many years of training as a disciple of the teacher, I finally received full certification.
A compound of 門 (gate) and 下 (under). Literally "under the gate," evoking the image of students gathered at the entrance to a master's school. The word carries a sense of formal apprenticeship and lineage. It is commonly used in traditional Japanese arts such as 茶道 (tea ceremony), 華道 (flower arrangement), 書道 (calligraphy), martial arts, and 落語 (comic storytelling).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 門下に入る: to become a disciple
- 門下生: pupil, student (of a master)
- 門下を育てる: to train disciples
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 弟子: disciple, apprentice — more general and commonly used in everyday conversation
- 門弟: pupil, disciple — a close synonym, slightly more literary
- 門人: follower, student — similar nuance but slightly more formal
- 塾生: student at a private school or academy — refers to students at a specific institution rather than under a personal master