Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

benshi

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: ben-shi
IPA

11

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A Japanese performer who provides live narration for silent films.

Example Sentences

"Silent Japanese films had explainers and narrators known as benshis, who became so popular that the Japanese commonly went to movies to see their favorite benshi rather than their favorite actor."
"The film had its premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival with an orchestra, a singer (billed as a castrato), an interlocutor (a tradition derived from the Japanese art of benshi) and sound effects by Foley artists in lab coats."

Etymology

From Japanese 弁士 (benshi).

Origin

Source language: Japanese

Word Breakdown

Root: 弁士

Inflected Forms

benshis (plural)

Questions

What does benshi mean?: A Japanese performer who provides live narration for silent films.
Where does benshi come from?: It is traced to Japanese.

How to pronounce benshi

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “benshi”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “benshi”.
Repeat and practice — Say “benshi” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.