also: さむらい
noun
Refers to the historical warrior class in feudal Japan, or to a person embodying the samurai spirit.
彼の先祖は武士だったそうだ。
I heard his ancestors were samurai.
武士の精神は現代にも受け継が
The spirit of the samurai is still passed down today.
Gikun/jukujikun reading; rarely used kana form. The reading さむらい is more commonly written as 侍.
侍 is the more common word for 'samurai' in modern Japanese. 武士 is a slightly more formal or historical term, often used in compound words or historical contexts.
From Middle Chinese-derived elements 武 (bu, 'military') and 士 (shi, 'gentleman, warrior'). The reading さむらい is a jukujikun derived from the verb 侍う (samorau, 'to serve').