Sifu is a synonym of sensei. As nouns the difference between sifu and sensei is that sifu is a pair of cantonese terms, homophones, used in english to mean “master” or “teacher” in the context of martial arts, especially kung fu and tai chi, also used to denote “spiritual father” in esoteric uses while sensei is japanese term for teacher it has been adopted into english mostly for use with martial arts instructors sensei of martial arts usually live and/or work at a dojo where they instruct their apprentices a live-in apprentice is also called uchi-deshi.