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Can someone highlight the differences between 英才【えいさい】 and 天才【てんさい】?

When searching their definitions, I see:

英才：1. genius; brilliance; unusual talent; 2. genius; brilliance; unusual
talent

天才：genius; prodigy; natural gift

My current assumption is that a 天才 is a naturally born genius (genetic, hence
assuming good in anything), while an 英才 is a genius is a specific, specialized
(unusual?) field (assuming that genius has a talent for that field, but is not
necessarily gifted in other areas). Am I correct?

I'm also curious about other words for genius and their subtleties, if you
know some, eg: 異才｛いさい｝、俊士｛しゅんさい｝、春愁｛しゅんしゅう｝、奇才｛きさい}.

Thank you!
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2015-01-03T23:27:21.020
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word-choice words nuances
Difference between 英才【えいさい】 and 天才【てんさい】 (genius)
Let me answer since these are interesting and you gave me a good drive.

As is here,

<http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/thsrs/4689/m0u/%E8%8B%B1%E6%89%8D/>

[使い分け] 【１】「秀才」「英才」は、頭が良く、学業成績が優秀な人。
【２】「俊才」は、学問の領域だけでなく、手腕のすぐれた人物、抜きん出た才知のある人物にもいう。

英才 is defined as a bright man soooo educated. 俊才 is, a bright man not only
good at learning but also good at another ( such as sports? probably? )

So these both seem to be related in terms of education.

Now onto the 天才,異才,奇才,

<http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/thsrs/2961/m0u/%E5%A4%A9%E6%89%8D/>

【１】どの語もすぐれた才能、また、才人の意。「天才」は生まれつき備わっている優れた才能、「偉才」は人並みはずれた才能、「奇才」は世にまれな才能、「鬼才」は非凡で人間とは思われないほどの才能であることをいうが、実際には意味・用法の相違はあまりない。
【２】「偉才」は「異才」とも書く。

So these 3 are defined as, as you said, genius, natural born, god-given on (
probably ) specific area. ( Like Michael Jordan called as G.O.A.T? )

春愁 is unfortunately a completely different word, meaning

<http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/106783/m0u/%E6%98%A5%E6%84%81/>

"Feeling so sullen in spring time".

Have a good day.!
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**天才【てんさい】** is an innate genius who is "gifted from heaven". He/she may be
extremely good at something even without much effort.

**秀才【しゅうさい】** is the next commonest word in this category. A 秀才 has some great
ability, probably due to his much effort, but may not be as good as 天才. I
think "Elite" is closer to 秀才. I often hear phrases like "彼は秀才ではあるが天才ではない",
"秀才が努力しても、天才には勝てない".

**英才【えいさい】** is similar to 秀才, but using 英才 on its own (i.e. "彼は英才だ。") is very
rare. Basically it occurs only in a few compounds, such as
[英才教育](http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E8%8B%B1%E6%89%8D).

**異才【いさい】** is uncommon, and I see these words basically only in
advertisements, book reviews, etc. It means he has an unique style in
writing/drawing/composing/etc., which may not be loved by everyone. For
example, a catchphrase like "小説界の異才" claims he has an exceptional talent, but
we should know it does not necessarily mean he is exceptionally _good_.

**鬼才【きさい】** is another nuanced word, often seen in advertisements. Think of 鬼才
as "天才 AND/OR 異才". Generally 鬼才 sounds far better than 異才. Compared to the
straightforward word 天才, 鬼才 sometimes (not always) emphasizes his/her peculiar
style.
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