Sabio Column

The Meaning of “Sabio”

By James H. Choi
http://column.SabioAcademy.com
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What exactly does the word “Sabio” mean?

Sabio is a Portuguese and Spanish word that serves as an adjective (“wise”) or a noun (“a wise person”).  It shares its Latin root with the word “sapien” an in “homo sapiens” and with the Portuguese and Spanish verb saber(“to know”).   In Portuguese spelling, there is an accent on sábio while in Spanish, there isn’t one.

I learned this word while studying in Brazil and liked its particular meaning because I believe that “wisdom” is more important than “knowledge.”  In addition, I liked the sound of it as well.

It does not end there.

This word can be a Chinese-character-based Korean word: 思批悟 (사비오) where

– 思(Sa) means “to think.”

– 批(Bi) means “to criticize” or “to be critical.”

– 悟(O) means “to understand.”

So put together, Sabio in Korean means to “think critically then understand,” which is what we are trying to teach.

Personally, I like this word so much that my car’s license plate says Sabio.  Any Spanish or Portuguese speaking person might think I’m conceded, declaring to the world that I’m wise.   But oh well.  There’s not enough space in the license plate to explain that Sabio stands for what I want to teach–what I want my students to learn in my academy, not what I am.