Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
word for foreigners and non-Japanese citizens in Japan, specifically being applied to foreigners of non-Japanese ethnicity and those from the
Japanese diaspora
The Japanese diaspora and its individual members, known as Nikkei (日系) or as Nikkeijin (日系人), comprise the Japanese emigrants from Japan (and their descendants) residing in a country outside Japan. Emigration from Japan was recorded as ...
who are not Japanese citizens. The word is composed of two
kanji
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
: and . Similarly composed words that refer to foreign things include and . The word is typically used to refer to foreigners of non-East Asian ethnicities.
Some feel the word has come to have a negative or
pejorative
A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...
connotation, while other observers maintain it is neutral. is a more neutral and somewhat more formal term widely used in the Japanese government and in media. ''Gaijin'' does not specifically mean a foreigner that is also a white person; instead, the term ''hakujin'' (白人, "white person") can be considered as a type of foreigner, and ''kokujin'' (黒人, "black person") would be the black equivalent.
Etymology and history
The word ''gaijin'' can be traced in writing to the 13th-century ''
Heike Monogatari
is an epic account compiled prior to 1330 of the struggle between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180–1185). Heike () refers to the Taira (), ''hei'' being the ''on'yo ...
'':
Here, ''gaijin'' refers to outsiders and potential enemies. Another early reference is in ''
Renri Hishō
( ''A Secret Treatise of Renga Principles'') is a text on renga poetics. It was written by Nijō Yoshimoto around 1349. It had a great influence on the development of renga.Miner, Earl Roy, ''Japanese linked poetry'', Princeton University Press, 1 ...
'' () by
Nijō Yoshimoto
, son of regent Nijō Michihira, was a Japanese ''kugyō'' (court noble), waka poet, and renga master of the early Nanboku-chō period (1336–1392).
Yoshimoto's wife gave birth to Nijō Moroyoshi. With another woman, he had sons Nijō Morots ...
, where it is used to refer to a Japanese person who is a stranger, not a friend. The
Noh
is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ' ...
play, '' Kurama tengu'' has a scene where a servant objects to the appearance of a traveling monk:
Here, ''gaijin'' also means an outsider or unfamiliar person.
The
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
in the 16th century were the first Europeans to visit Japan; they were called '' nanbanjin'' ("southern barbarians"), and trade with them was known as the ''Nanban'' trade. When British and Dutch adventurers such as William Adams arrived in the early 17th century, they were usually known as '' kōmōjin'' ("red-haired people"), a term cognate to one used in modern
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
Chinese.
When the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...
was made to open Japan to foreign contact after two centuries of self-isolation, Westerners were commonly called as '' ijin'' ("different people"), a shortened form of '' ikokujin'' ("different country person") or '' ihōjin'' ("different motherland people").
The word ''gaikokujin'' () is composed of '' gaikoku'' (foreign country) and '' jin'' (person). Early citations exist from c. 1235, but it was largely non-extant until reappearing in 1838. The
Meiji government
The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan.
Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji o ...
(1868–1912) further popularized the term, which came to replace ''ijin'', ''ikokujin'' and ''ihōjin''. As the
Empire of Japan
The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...
extended to Korea and to Taiwan, the term '' naikokujin'' ("inside country people") came to refer to nationals of other imperial territories. While other terms fell out of use after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, ''gaikokujin'' remained the official term for non-Japanese people. Some hold that the modern ''gaijin'' is a contraction of ''gaikokujin''.
Usage
While all forms of the word mean "foreigner" or "outsider", in practice ''gaijin'' or ''gaikokujin'' are commonly used to refer to foreigners of non-East Asian ethnicities. For example, other East Asians such as
ethnic Chinese
The Chinese people or simply Chinese, are people or ethnic groups identified with China, usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or other affiliation.
Chinese people are known as Zhongguoren () or as Huaren () by speakers of s ...
and
Koreans
Koreans ( South Korean: , , North Korean: , ; see names of Korea) are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula.
Koreans mainly live in the two Korean nation states: North Korea and South Korea (collectively and simply refe ...
residing in Japan are not referred to as gaijin, but by their nationality directly, such as 星嘉波人 for
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
or 印度尼西亜人 for
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, however katakana versions are now more widely used ever since the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Zainichi (在日), or for ethnic Chinese specifically, kakyō (華僑), are also used.
The term may also sometimes be applied to Wajin born and raised in other countries. ''Gaijin'' is also commonly used within Japanese events such as baseball (there is a limit to non-Japanese players in
NPB
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
) and
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
to collectively refer to the visiting performers from the West who will frequently tour the country.
Japanese speakers commonly refer to non-Japanese people as ''gaijin'' even while they are overseas. Also, people of Japanese descent native to other countries (especially those countries with large Japanese communities) might also call non-descendants ''gaijin'', as a counterpart to ''nikkei''. This interpretation of the term as neutral in tone continues for some. However, though the term may be used without negative intent by many Japanese speakers, it is seen as derogatory by some and reflective of exclusionary attitudes.Thomas Dillon "Born and raised a 'gaijin' , ''Japan Times'', December 24, 2005
In light of these connotations, the more neutral and formal ''gaikokujin'' is often used as an alternative term to refer to non-Japanese people. Nanette Gottlieb, Professor of Japanese Studies at the School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland, suggests that the term has become controversial and is avoided now by most Japanese television broadcasters. "Gaikokujin is uncontroversial and simply means a person who does not hold Japanese citizenship; it is the more common contracted version that has been the subject of irritated complaint: people may be pointed at by children and have the word gaijin either shouted or whispered though this is much less common in Japan today than it was thirty years ago. At a deeper level, though, it is the connotation of exclusion and oddity that irks, particularly when the term is combined with the adjective hen na to mean 'peculiar foreigner,' a term once often heard on Japanese television shows. The term gaijin itself is included these days by most broadcasters on their list of terms best avoided."
''Gaijin'' appears frequently in Western literature and pop culture. It forms the title of such novels as Marc Olden's ''Gaijin'' (New York: Arbor House, 1986), James Melville's ''Go gently, gaijin'' (New York : St. Martin's Press, 1986), James Kirkup's ''Gaijin on the Ginza'' (London: Chester Springs, 1991) and James Clavell's ''Gai-Jin'' (New York: Delacorte Press, 1993), as well as a song by
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave,Gaijin – Os Caminhos da Liberdade'' (1980) and ''
Gaijin – Ama-me Como Sou
''Gaijin 2: Love Me As I Am'' ( pt, Gaijin – Ama-me Como Sou) is a 2005 Brazilian drama film directed by Tizuka Yamasaki. It is the sequel of '' Gaijin: Roads to Freedom'' (1980), also directed by Yamasaki.
The film is set in 1908 and tells th ...
'' (2005), as well as animation shorts such as Fumi Inoue's ''Gaijin'' (2003).
Foreign residents in Japan
See also
*
List of terms for ethnic exogroups
An ethnic exogroup is a group of people which does not belong to a particular ethnic group. Many cultures have terms referring to all outsiders, but in practice this often becomes narrowed to the largest outsider group. In particular, exogroup ter ...
*
Alien (law)
In law, an alien is any person (including an organization) who is not a citizenship, citizen or a nationality, national of a specific country, although definitions and terminology differ to some degree depending upon the continent or region. ...
Farang
Farang ( fa, فرنگ) is a Persian (and Southeast Asian) word that originally referred to the Franks (the major Germanic tribe) and later came to refer to White Europeans in general. The word "Farang" is a cognate and originates from O ...
*
Guizi
''Guizi'' () is a pejorative Chinese slang term for foreigners. It has had a history of containing xenophobic connotations.
History
Starting with the arrival of European sailors in the sixteenth century, foreigners were often perceived in Chin ...
*
Goy
In modern Hebrew and Yiddish (, he, גוי, regular plural , or ) is a term for a gentile, a non-Jew. Through Yiddish, the word has been adopted into English (pluralised as goys or goyim) also to mean gentile, sometimes with a pejorative se ...
im
*
Gweilo
''Gweilo'' or (, pronounced ) is a common Cantonese slang term for Westerners. In the absence of modifiers, it refers to white people and has a history of racially deprecatory and pejorative use. Cantonese speakers frequently use to refer to ...
Japanese abbreviated and contracted words
Abbreviated and contracted words are a common feature of Japanese language, Japanese. Long words are often contracted into shorter forms, which then become the predominant forms. For example, the University of Tokyo, in Japanese becomes , and "rem ...
*
Laowai ''Laowai'' is the Pinyin pronunciation/transliteration of (pinyin: ''lǎowài'', lit. "old foreign"), an informal term or slang for "foreigner" and/or non-Chinese national, usually neutral but possibly impolite or loose in some circumstances. ...
Sangokujin
is a Japanese term referring to residents of Korea (North and South) and Taiwan in the aftermath of World War II. The original term literally means "third country's citizen".
Concept
In the immediate aftermath of the war, the legal status of ...
*
Sonnō jōi
was a ''yojijukugo'' (four-character compound) phrase used as the rallying cry and slogan of a political movement in Japan in the 1850s and 1860s during the Bakumatsu period. Based on Neo-Confucianism and Japanese nativism, the movement soug ...