It's not Gaijin, it's Gaikokujin!

Gaijin: 外人. Written with the characters for outside and person. Shortened from Gaikokujin, 外国人, literally outside-country-person. While it's become popular slang to call foreigners the former, it isn't quite "politically correct." (let us suspend disbelief that such a concept could actually exist in Japan) Literally translated it means "outsider," but more often than not people see it as a harmless term for foreigner. Popular usage, the in thing. Many foreigners happily refer to themselves as this; our I.D. cards are called "Gaijin cards" by most; and I've even heard other foreigners talk about getting "gaijined," meaning stereotyped or some such thing. Ex: "I got gaijined on the train again, when I sat down the lady next to me got up and moved to another seat." It's got to be one of the first words a foreigner learns here. I even saw a video recently of youtubers sharing their favorite Japanese word, some of which was funny, some of which was just plain sad. What sticks in my mind is a guy saying: "My favorite word is Gaijin, because that's what I am." I thought to myself: How many people have no idea of the possible implications of the word, or that it's even slang, and not proper Japanese?

Some background on this entry: A few weeks ago I was having dinner with a Japanese friend, and her other "gaijin" friend. This girl was part Filipino, part-Chinese, and part-something else I don't remember. She had grown up in Japan, most likely experiencing a lot of discrimination due to her being so incredibly different and not Japanese - although, to the untrained Western eye she would hardly look different at all. She is the one who got me thinking. While we were eating, my Japanese friend said Gaijin, and the other girl somewhat sternly corrected her on it. "Gaikokujin." At first I thought "what's the big deal?" But I got to wondering what Chinese, Filipino, Brazilians or any other creed for that matter must experience growing up here. And how much weight language can carry, oblivious to many who use it, propelling ideas or even stereotypes they are totally unaware of. Think back on the term nergo; Does anyone say this anymore? No. Why? Because it's genuinely offensive and carries with it older ideas about segregation of blacks. I've seen Japanese referred to as "Japs" only in fiction, (Jappu ジャップ) but apparently that word still carries some weight. I can only imagine what the old WW2 vets would think if they heard it being thrown around.

As for me, Gaijin is not an offensive term. This is the case for most foreigners. But next time you use this word, or any word, think about the implications it may have to those around you. I mean, I used lots of slang in my speech, I especially enjoy comedy that deals with racy issues, like race, gender, class, society, etc. I've been on a huge George Carlin kick lately. But that's besides the point. Just take a minute to think about where what your saying comes from, and how it might be received by the other. This isn't about being completely P.C., it's about not being completely ignorant to the world around you.


"We're just a bunch of monkeys spinning on a rock around the sun."