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Is ''外人'' a racist/offensive word?
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I'm not offended by the word gaijin, I use it myself too, referring to myself or my other gaijin friends. Sometimes Japanese people too, since to me THEY are gaijin ^^
I agree with all the comments above however, there are people who have negative/narrow minded views about gaijin in Japan. They usually make very wide generalizations, and what you do new falls to the same category you're in. Most of the people I met in the university I did study abroad started to think my personal habits/choices are general truths for people from my country.... And they're university students who study English, not uneducated ignorant people. What I mean is, there are such people and I would find them offensive even when they say "gaikokujin" or "gaikoku no kata" or whatever.
But the opposite is also true, I met lots of very open minded Japanese people who used the word "gaijin" but never meant any offense.
I agree with all the comments above however, there are people who have negative/narrow minded views about gaijin in Japan. They usually make very wide generalizations, and what you do new falls to the same category you're in. Most of the people I met in the university I did study abroad started to think my personal habits/choices are general truths for people from my country.... And they're university students who study English, not uneducated ignorant people. What I mean is, there are such people and I would find them offensive even when they say "gaikokujin" or "gaikoku no kata" or whatever.
But the opposite is also true, I met lots of very open minded Japanese people who used the word "gaijin" but never meant any offense.
I believe it depends how it's used. When I lived in Japan it was not so much the use of the word which sometimes offended me, but more the attitudes of the people who used it. The overwhelming majority of Japanese have a "them and us" view of the world which many foreigners in Japan find to be close-minded and extremely frustrating.
Well, not necessarily. However, people who want to differentiate foreigners from themselves often use "gaijin" intentionally (with bad attitude, as James-san mentions above).
"Gaikokujin" is politically correct term and is used in order not to sound offensive/discriminative.
"Gaikokujin" is politically correct term and is used in order not to sound offensive/discriminative.
No no, I don't think so.
Japanese people tend to make many words shorter and often use a shorter words.
The word which mean "foreigner" is "外国人(gai-koku-jin)" correctly,
but the pronounce "gaikokujin" is too long for conversation,
so people often use the shorter word "gaijin".
Mainly there is no racism meaning.
For thousands years, Japan island has only japanese people,
so most japanese are not used to meeting foreigners.
Please forgive us... ^^;
Japanese people tend to make many words shorter and often use a shorter words.
The word which mean "foreigner" is "外国人(gai-koku-jin)" correctly,
but the pronounce "gaikokujin" is too long for conversation,
so people often use the shorter word "gaijin".
Mainly there is no racism meaning.
For thousands years, Japan island has only japanese people,
so most japanese are not used to meeting foreigners.
Please forgive us... ^^;
alien → foreigner → overseas
外人（Gaijin） → 外国人（Gaikokujin） → 外国の方（Gaikoku-no-kata）
Sometimes I feel to use foreigner is a bit offensive. So I attempt to use overseas because of plitness. Are not overseas polite or soft meaning compare to foreginer?
外人（Gaijin） → 外国人（Gaikokujin） → 外国の方（Gaikoku-no-kata）
Sometimes I feel to use foreigner is a bit offensive. So I attempt to use overseas because of plitness. Are not overseas polite or soft meaning compare to foreginer?
I've asked this same question about "mat salleh" (Malaysian), "bule" (Indonesian) and "ฝรั่ง" ("farang", Thai) to my friends, which are all used to denote pale "westerner" people. In all cases they're not derogatory terms themselves, they're merely the word used to describe westerners. Only the context or attitude would make them derogatory.
For 外人, I've not had any Japanese friends advise me that it is inherently racist, and we've often used it in conversation with each other. However, I've never called a Japanese a 外人, as apparently the idea may be too strange to them. I understand a Japanese person, when abroad, is still not considered a 外人. :)
For 外人, I've not had any Japanese friends advise me that it is inherently racist, and we've often used it in conversation with each other. However, I've never called a Japanese a 外人, as apparently the idea may be too strange to them. I understand a Japanese person, when abroad, is still not considered a 外人. :)
hah`~~ interesting question~~~
I think "外人" is absolutely a neutral word~~~ which just explains how about situation of you or someone for the man who is speaking to you.
but, in some cases, maybe, it would offend you or make you angry, for example
you are close friends, you are relatives, you are colleagues. And you have same target, that means you are in identical battle line! So, in here, I think, "外人" is definitely a nagetive word that you are ignored..... ahaha`~~~
Please, tell me how do you think asking meaning of "外人"？ Somebody mentioned it to you? or you had read some acticals?
hahaha
I think "外人" is absolutely a neutral word~~~ which just explains how about situation of you or someone for the man who is speaking to you.
but, in some cases, maybe, it would offend you or make you angry, for example
you are close friends, you are relatives, you are colleagues. And you have same target, that means you are in identical battle line! So, in here, I think, "外人" is definitely a nagetive word that you are ignored..... ahaha`~~~
Please, tell me how do you think asking meaning of "外人"？ Somebody mentioned it to you? or you had read some acticals?
hahaha
hum!... sorry... I found the question you asked was for learning japanese~~~~~ haha
so, my answer was irrelevant for you question. ignore it
so, my answer was irrelevant for you question. ignore it
外人never mean a racist/offensive in Japan.
As Kazma says, it is a only short word of 外国人. It is nothing more than that.
It is a person/people from other country(s) or live(s) in other country(s), just the similar way as Japanese people call each other like a 東京人 Tokyo-jin (You are form Tokyo)、大阪人 Osaka-jin (You are from Osaka). And I am called 名古屋人 Nagoya-jin (You are from Nagoya) when I am with people from different places of Japan.
I know that there are still some people who especially live isolated area or are uneducated as well as some have grown up by, are narrow minded. They have difficulty to accept new people even Japanese from different places. But that is exceptional.
Most Japanese people do not use 外人 for bad meaning.
As Kazma says, it is a only short word of 外国人. It is nothing more than that.
It is a person/people from other country(s) or live(s) in other country(s), just the similar way as Japanese people call each other like a 東京人 Tokyo-jin (You are form Tokyo)、大阪人 Osaka-jin (You are from Osaka). And I am called 名古屋人 Nagoya-jin (You are from Nagoya) when I am with people from different places of Japan.
I know that there are still some people who especially live isolated area or are uneducated as well as some have grown up by, are narrow minded. They have difficulty to accept new people even Japanese from different places. But that is exceptional.
Most Japanese people do not use 外人 for bad meaning.
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