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is a Japanese word literally meaning "outside person", commonly translated as "foreigner." ''Gaijin'' is a short form of the full word . 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. ETYMOLOGY AND HISTORY "''Gaikokujin''" (literally "outside-country-person") and its shortened form, "''gaijin''," are relatively new words in Japanese. Historically, the Portuguese, the first Europeans to visit Japan, were known as ''nanbanjin'' (南蛮人 literally: "southern barbarians"), because their ships came sailing in from the south, and because these sailors were perceived as unrefined by the Japanese. 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, literally "red-haired people"). When the Tokugawa shogunate was forced to open Japan to foreign contact, Westerners were commonly referred to as ''ijin'' (異人 literally "different person"), a shortened form of ikokujin (異国人 literally "different country person") or ''ihōjin'' (異邦人 literally: "different motherland person") which were previously used for Japanese from different feudal (that is, foreign) states. ''Keto'' (毛唐, combining the characters for T'ang China and (red) hair) was used as a pejorative reference. After the Meiji Restoration, the Meiji government popularized the term ''gaikokujin'' to refer to foreigners, and this gradually replaced ''ijin'', ''ikokujin'' and ''ihōjin''. As the empire of Japan extended to Korea and Taiwan, the term ''naikokujin'' (内国人 literally "inside country person") was used to refer to nationals of other territories of the Empire. While this term fell out of use after World War II, ''gaikokujin'' remained as the official government term for non-Japanese people, and other terms fell from use. USAGE In Japanese, shortening of long words is common in colloquial usage. However, once the shortened term becomes popular and its colloquial meaning becomes widely recognised, the longer form of the word may completely drop out from common usage. For example the Japanese term ''enjin sutoppu'' (from "engine stop", and meaning "stall") became ''ensuto''; and, in current usage, ''ensuto'' is the standard written as well as spoken form. Analogous examples are "NATO" and "Fiat", which are preferred over the full versions. Thus, the construction ''gaikoku no kata'' (外国の方, roughly "a person from another country") is the most polite, followed by ''gaikokujin,'' with ''gaijin'' being the shortest, the most casual, and thus the least polite form. There are subtle differences in nuance in the choice of phrasing. Additionally, while all forms of the word mean "foreigner," in practice ''gaikokujin'' and ''gaijin'' are mainly used to refer to white or black people, while Asian people from outside Japan are usually referred to by their country of origin: ''Chūgoku-jin'' (中国人, Chinese person), ''Kankoku-jin'' (韓国人, Korean person), ''Indo-jin'' (インド人, Indian person), and so on. People of Japanese descent living in or born in foreign countries are known as ''Nikkei-jin'' (persons of Japanese descent), while children of mixed (Japanese and non-Japanese) parentage are known as ''hāfu'' ("half"). 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 "foreigners" in Japan; Japanese speakers commonly refer to non-Japanese as ''gaijin'' even when on trips overseas. CONTROVERSY The use of the word ''gaijin'' is often a source of controversy. While the term is not necessarily pejorative, its use can be considered offensive in some circumstances, in part because it is a contraction (and thus less polite than other terms), and in part because of mixed perceptions of its specific meaning. For example, while a non-Japanese person might not object to being referred to as ''gaikoku no kata'' (roughly, a person from another country), in some situations—such as a business setting—''gaijin'' would be inappropriately informal. Since there are specific rules for polite speech in Japanese, and since Japanese people are sensitive to differences in nuance of different speech styles, the use of the word ''gaijin'' is usually deliberate, that is, it is either deliberately deployed as a pejorative—as in the terms ''baka-gaijin'' (stupid foreigner!) or ''gaijin-kusai'' (literally, "it stinks of foreigners"); only used when it is assumed that any non-Japanese present will not understand what is being said—''asoko no gaijin'' ("that foreigner over there"); or used only in situations where its intended meaning—whether neutral or otherwise—will not be ambiguous. The standard form in government and media is ''gaikokujin''. Some non-Japanese also object to the use of ''gaijin'' as a form of address (as in ''gaijin-san''). It is common in Japanese to address others by title rather than name. For example, customers are customarily addressed as ''O-kyaku-sama'' ("honourable customer"); a person who works in a bookshop might be addressed as ''Honya-san'' (Mr. Bookseller); a butcher might be addressed as ''Nikuya-san'' (Miss Butcher), and so on. However, addressing others by a physical trait is not usually seen as polite. For example, it would not be acceptable, in most cases, to address someone as ''Debu-san'' (Mr. Fatty) or ''Megane-san'' (Ms. Eyeglasses). The term ''gaijin-san'' is akin to calling someone Mrs. Foreigner, and is therefore often perceived as rude. Some object to the word ''gaijin'' on the grounds that it is inappropriately broad. In this sense, a parallel can be drawn with the English term "Asian," since in both cases the words are used to describe people from dozens of widely varying countries, cultures, linguistic traditions, and ethnic backgrounds, which may be interpreted as ignorant and/or racist. On the other hand, in English, "Asian" may be seen as preferrable to the older term "Oriental," which is increasingly being seen as racist and politically incorrect, particularly in North America. Just as in most cases English speakers do not use the word "Asian" with pejorative intent, Japanese speakers often use ''gaijin'' as a convenient catch-all descriptive term. Indeed, many foreigners in Japan refer to themselves and each other as ''gaijin'' in certain situations, such as in conversation with Japanese friends, just as many people might describe themselves as "Asian" when speaking English. Others object to the term based on a literal reading of the kanji with which it is written. While Japanese words, like English ones, are most often more than the sum of their parts, and while the etymology of the word "foreigner" is in fact similar (coming from the Latin ''foranus'', meaning "on the outside"), it is felt by some that the term is overused in the Japanese context, whereas an English speaker might prefer other terms in certain situations. Specifically, since even long-term ex-pats in Japan are referred to as gaijin, many foreigners feel that the word symbolizes their cultural and social exclusion from the Japanese community and the reluctance of some Japanese to accept Japanese citizens of non-Japanese ethnicity and of the government to acknowledge persons of non-Japanese ethnicity as citizens even if they are born in Japan. In contrast, for example, a person from Japan who is a long-term resident of Canada might be called "Japanese-Canadian," "of Japanese descent," or even simply "Canadian." It is also pointed out that ''gaijin'' can suggest "stranger," "outsider," or even "enemy." Similarly, some English speakers point out that even in English the term "foreigner" can have negative implications in certain contexts. For example, it would not usually be considered polite to refer to someone as "the foreign man," or to describe someone as being "foreign," particularly when that person is a long-term resident or even citizen of the country. It is pointed out that such phrasing is often chosen for reasons of racism (for example, it is a running gag on the television sitcom That Seventies Show for the only non-white character to be described as "the foreign one"). SEE ALSO
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