The Japanese expression of 'sensei' shares the same characters as the Chinese word 先生, pronounced "xiānshēng" in Standard Chinese. Xiansheng was a courtesy title for a man of respected stature. Middle Chinese pronunciation of this term may have been * or *. In modern Standard Chinese, it is used in the same way as the title "Mr". Prior to the development of the modern vernacular, "xiānshēng" was used to address teachers of both genders; this has fallen out of usage in Standard Chinese, though it is retained in some southern Chinese Chinese varieties such as Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew and Hakka, where it still has the meaning "teacher" or "doctor". In Japanese, "sensei" is still used to address people of both genders. It is likely both the current Southern Chinese and Japanese usages are more reflective of its Middle Chinese etymology. For Hokkien and Teochew communities in Singapore and Malaysia, ""Sensei"" is the proper word to address school teachers. Malays in Singapore traditionally addressed Chinese physicians as ""Sensei"" too.