Expats in Japan are often surprised and offended at being labelled as outsiders, especially if the term is used towards them despite their repeated efforts to assimilate. Although for most Japanese people the term is akin to saying 'gaisha' (foreign car) or 'gaika' (foreign currency) and no harm is meant, the word itself has picked up a lot of baggage over the years through repeated misinterpretation and reinforcement among foreigners who have visited Japan. The word 'gaijin' (literally 'foreigner' or 'outsider') evokes a multitude of differing responses depending on who you ask. He also thinks that the formality of the word makes a difference: I was lucky to talk with the Gakuranman who actually did a lengthy write-up about the word a few years back.
Hikosaemon touches on an the important issue of formality for some, the informal 外人 is inappropriate in certain situations, but the more formal 外国人 or even the honorific 外国の方 are perfectly acceptable.Īnd while Hikosaemon wasn't necessarily offended or alienated by the term, he and everybody I talked to recognized that "gaijin" is a word that can have a powerful effect on people. It reminds me to periodic adjustments of politically correct terms for intellectually disabled people. We will just go from "Bloody gaijin" to "Bloody Gaikoku No Kata", the term here is not the issue. It's a convenient slang term that I use myself, and generally have no issue with others using unless the usage is in an inappropriate context-which is a problem you can't fix by changing the word. Those with the greatest sensitivity to the term often seem to be bringing their own complexes to the table about perception of race in their home countries, and their own level of adjustment and language ability in Japan. However, reactions to the term I think tend to show more about the person reacting than any psychology on the part of the speaker. The composition of the term as "outsider" and the feeling that this reinforces exclusion heightens sensitivity about the psychology behind the term and its use to many foreigners, as indeed it did myself in my early years in Japan. The term gets a lot of focus by people new to Japanese culture who become aware of the exclusivity of Japanese social circles and struggle with the feeling of isolation the culture can give new arrivals (just as it gives migrant Japanese within Japan). I do not subscribe to the view that its limited malicious use means the term should be made taboo. It is the 1% of used with malice that causes most of the controversy. Because it is slang, it is not appropriate for formal contexts, but as slang, the appropriateness of its casual use is contextual-99% of the time, I think the way it is used is fine. To me, the word "gaijin" is slang for someone who looks like a non-Japanese. Hikosaemon, a man who's lived and worked in Japan for over a decade, sometimes sees "gaijin" used in inappropriate contexts, but doesn't believe that there's necessarily anything wrong with the word itself:
Lots of websites aimed at expatriates in Japan, like GaijinPot and countless other community sites and blogs, have absolutely no problem with using the word "gaijin." Many people take no issue with the word and even embrace it to some extent. I got a lot of great, varied, and nuanced responses. I thought that I'd reach out to some bloggers living in Japan to see what their thoughts on the word "gaijin" were. It can mean refusal of service at businesses, a barrier to entry for housing, or even threats of harassment or violence. Some people take the word lightly when the Tofugu team was in Japan and a roller coaster we were riding unexpectedly malfunctioned, we joked that it was because the ride wasn't designed to hold the weight of our giant gaijin bodies.īut for some people in Japan, "gaijin" can be a hurtful and alienating word. ), or "foreigner" in Japanese, is a complicated word that means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. My post a few weeks ago about weird ramen took an unexpected turn in the comments as people began to discuss my usage of the word "gaijin." I'm constantly being reminded that the comments section of Tofugu (or any site, for that matter) can really take on a life of its own.