Gaijin

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The characters for Gaikokujin.

Gaijin (外人, Gaijin^? IPA: [ˈgaɪdʒin]) or gaikokujin (外国人, gaikokujin^?) are Japanese words meaning "foreigner." The words can refer to nationality or ethnicity. The word is often the subject of debate as to its appropriateness, particularly in its shortened form. The word gaikokujin (外国人) is composed of gaikoku (外国, foreign country) and hito/jin (人, person), so the word literally means "foreign person." Gaijin (外人) is a common abbreviation of gaikokujin.

[edit] Etymology and history

The word gaijin is of ancient provenance and the first recorded use^{[citation needed]} can be traced back to Heike Monogatari, written early in the 13th century:

外人もなき所に兵具をととのへ

tohito mo naki tokoro ni tsuwamono-wo totonoe

Gather the soldiers where there are no 外人

Here, the word "外人" is used to refer to potential spies or people who should be regarded as enemies.^{[citation needed]} Another early reference is in Renri Hishō (連理秘抄, c. 1349) by Nijo Yoshimoto (二条良基), where it is used to refer to a (Japanese) person who is a stranger, not a friend.^[1]

The word was initially not applied to foreigners, and historically, the Portuguese, the first Europeans to visit Japan, were known as nanbanjin (南蛮人, "southern barbarians"), because their ships came sailing in from the south, and because these sailors were perceived as unrefined by the Japanese.^[2] When British and Dutch adventurers such as William Adams arrived in Japan fifty years later in the early 17th century, they were usually known as kōmōjin (紅毛人, "red-haired people.")^[3]

The word gaikokujin was only introduced and popularized by the Meiji government^{[citation needed]}. As the empire of Japan extended to Taiwan and Korea, the term naikokujin (内国人, "inside country people") was used to refer to nationals of other territories of the Empire^{[citation needed]}. While other terms fell out of use after World War II, gaikokujin remained as the official government term for non-Japanese people.^{[citation needed]}.

This section relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Please help improve this article by introducing appropriate citations of additional sources. (help) This article has been tagged since January 2007.

[edit] Usage

While all forms of the word mean "foreigner," in practice gaikokujin and gaijin are mainly used to refer to non-East Asians; people from China are Chūgokujin (中国人, "Chinese person") or Korea are Kankokujin (韓国人, "South Korean person")—usually referred to by their country of origin.^{[citation needed]} Similar practice can be seen in most countries where the closer the ethnicity (such as Irish in Britain), the more likely it is to use country specific-reference than to use an all-encompassing expression for non-natives.^{[citation needed]} Now that gaijin has become somewhat politically incorrect, it is common to refer to non-East Asian non-Japanese as gaikokujin while more culturally similar Chinese, Taiwanese, and South and North Koreans are referred to as Chugokujin, Taiwanjin, and Kankokujin and (Kita) Chosenjin, respectively.^{[citation needed]}

People of Japanese descent living or born overseas are known as Nikkei-jin (persons of Japanese descent), while children of mixed (Japanese and non-Japanese) parentage are known as hāfu ("half"). "Hanbun" is also a generally accepted term.^{[citation needed]}

The term gaijin is also used as a form of address in some situations, in which case it is commonly combined with the routine honorific -san, roughly meaning "Mr" or "Ms." Gaijin-san may also be used as a politer alternative to gaijin or gaikokujin.

The use of gaijin is not limited to non-Japanese in Japan; Japanese speakers commonly refer to non-Japanese 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. Interestingly, second (nisei) or third (sansei) generation ethnic Japanese outside Japan may be referred to as gaijin if it is intended to emphasise the fact that they are culturally foreign.

Gaijin also appears frequently in Western literature and pop culture. It is the title of a novel by James Clavell.

[edit] Broadcasting and publishing

The word gaijin is classified as racial discrimination (人種差別) and included on a common list of prohibited words used by Japanese broadcasters and publishers.^[4] The list recommends the use of gaikokujin instead. However, adherence to these lists is voluntary, and its contents are often criticized as excessively cautious (see kotobagari). Gaijin is not listed on the Broadcasting Code master list of prohibited words that all TV and radio broadcasters adhere to.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] See also

• Ethnic issues in Japan
• Ethnocentrism
• Japanese abbreviated and contracted words
• Japanocentrism
• Sangokujin
• Tension between social groups in sento bathhouses
• Zainichi Korean
• Chinese in Japan
• O-yatoi gaikokujin
• Muzungu

[edit] References

1. ^ Entry for 「外人」 in the dictionary Kojien, fifth edition, 1998, [ISBN 4-00-080111-2]
2. ^ Entry for 「南蛮」. Kojien, fifth edition, 1998, [ISBN 4-00-080111-2]
3. ^ Entry for 「紅毛」. Kojien, fifth edition, 1998, [ISBN 4-00-080111-2]
4. ^ Monoroch: 放送禁止用語一覧.　Retrieved on October 12, 2006.

[edit] External links

• Japan Today Poll and Discussion: Do you think that the Japanese word 'gaijin' is racist or derogatory?
• Japan Times readers' forum on gaijin and "gaikokujin" (registration required)
• Is the word 'Gaijin' derogatory?