Is "Gaijin" a Racist Slur?

[Chidoriashi]

For me I don't care most of the time, unless the word is used in a rude way, which it can easily be. I do appreciate though when people have the courtesy to say gaijin-san, or best yet gaikokujin. To me there is a difference between being called a foreigner (gaikokujin) and an outsider (gaijin). I have more respect for people who are polite and courteous enough to think hard about the words they use, and the things they ask people.

oh and the reason I don't care is because I know that all countries of the world have their fill of ignorant boobs that probably don't mean any real harm.

 

[Ashikaga]

Here is a couple of Wiki pages about "Gaijin".
Gaijin - Wikipedia (in English)
外人 - Wikipedia (in Japanese)
The Japanese page goes deeper into the gap between the native Japanese and the non-natives' understandings of the term.
I don't think it is a racist slur but would not use it as I am aware that many people are offended by it.

 

[Chidoriashi]

Seems like the wayﾂ Western foreigners were referred in the middle ages was far more insulting. ﾂ（窶愿ｬ窶敕伉人ﾂ）ﾂ Though the connotations of this probably go back to, or maybe in fact reinforce the old Japanese mistaken idea of all foreigners being hunter-gatherer-barbarians.

 

[kireikoori]

No, I've never really considered the word foreigner racist.
I would only consider the word racist if it were used to refer to people like Olivia Lufkin. As she is not a foreigner.

 

[tmm99]

Hi!

First time poster here.

I am Japanese, and I have noticed that my mom and my aunt (both in their 70's) call caucasian
"looking" people gaijin-san, and asian nationals (non-Japanese of course) Asia-jin, or Indo-jin looking or whatever. I wouldn't define "gaijin" a racial slur, but the fact they add "-san" to the word "gainjin" makes me think that maybe it is...

tmm

 

[Haruspex]

南蛮人 sounds cool, wouldn't mind being called that. Im a barbarian lol. Gyarrrrr!

 

[shintemaster]

Hi!
First time poster here.
I am Japanese, and I have noticed that my mom and my aunt (both in their 70's) call caucasian
"looking" people gaijin-san, and asian nationals (non-Japanese of course) Asia-jin, or Indo-jin looking or whatever. I wouldn't define "gaijin" a racial slur, but the fact they add "-san" to the word "gainjin" makes me think that maybe it is...
tmm

Probably the main problem with the word. It's out of date. It's use reinforces the idea that only Japanese ethnic people are Japanese and that is simply not true. In that sense it is a racial issue.

 

[tmm99]

This has been an interesting discussion.
This is nothing to do with the "gaijin" discussion, but...
I remember when I was a kid, compact cameras with automatic focus came out, and those cameras were often referred to as "bakachon camera". Later on, I found out that the word "chon" meant Korean people. I still don't know the validity of it, but I was horrified!! At the same time though, I wondered how many people knew what bakachon meant.
I used to live in Denver, and people used the word "oriental" a lot when they were talking about people from the Asian countries. I moved to California (Bay Area) from Denver, and they said the term orientals are derogatory and they should be called Asians. Hmm... It never occured to me calling the Asians Orientals was deragatory. I still hear the Asians being referred to as the Orientals outside of California.
Now, I go to Safeway (grocery store) and the section that used to be called "Oriental Foods" is now called "Asian Foods", and get this, in some Safeway stores, the section that has "Mexican Foods" has a sign "Hipanic Foods".... (Come on! The store is treating like calling the Mexicans Mexicans is derogatory.)
tmm

 

[Ashikaga]

This has been an interesting discussion.
This is nothing to do with the "gaijin" discussion, but...
I remember when I was a kid, compact cameras with automatic focus came out, and those cameras were often referred to as "bakachon camera". Later on, I found out that the word "chon" meant Korean people. I still don't know the validity of it, but I was horrified!! At the same time though, I wondered how many people knew what bakachon meant.
I used to live in Denver, and people used the word "oriental" a lot when they were talking about people from the Asian countries. I moved to California (Bay Area) from Denver, and they said the term orientals are derogatory and they should be called Asians. Hmm... It never occured to me calling the Asians Orientals was deragatory. I still hear the Asians being referred to as the Orientals outside of California.
Now, I go to Safeway (grocery store) and the section that used to be called "Oriental Foods" is now called "Asian Foods", and get this, in some Safeway stores, the section that has "Mexican Foods" has a sign "Hipanic Foods".... (Come on! The store is treating like calling the Mexicans Mexicans is derogatory.)
tmm

The term BAKACHON CAMERA used to be quite commonly used but not anymore. It is an abbreviated form of "Baka demo Chon demo tsukaeru Camera ( A Camera that can be operated even by a fool or a Korean )". The people of my parents' generation were using the term fully aware of its meaning while we were oblivious as to what it really meant. Like tmm, I found out later when I was in grade school the true meaning of the word, and like tmm, was horrified.

Regarding the MEXICAN section at a Safeway changing its name to HISPANIC section, here is what I believe to be the reason.
In many supermarkets in the US, they used to stuff ALL food items from the hispanic world ( all the countries in the central/south america as well as Spain & Portugal ) into the MEXICAN section as the Mexican cuisine happened to be the most well-known among the people of the US. So, changing its name to HISPANIC does not imply anything negative toward Mexicans, rather it is a step taken by the markets toward political correctness.

Sorry for taking the thread further into the land of OffTopicania. Please continue on with the topic of Gaijin as a racial slur. :smoke:

 

[diceke]

The term BAKACHON CAMERA used to be quite commonly used but not anymore. It is an abbreviated form of "Baka demo Chon demo tsukaeru Camera ( A Camera that can be operated even by a fool or a Korean )". The people of my parents' generation were using the term fully aware of its meaning while we were oblivious as to what it really meant. Like tmm, I found out later when I was in grade school the true meaning of the word, and like tmm, was horrified.

I couldn't find any credible source, but it looks like the meaning of this word has changed over time. Originally, Chon just meant stupid, it had nothing to do with Koreans at all. ☝

ﾂ ﾂ「ﾆ蛋ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?慊」窶堙債「窶卍ｩ窶朗ﾂ」窶堙懌?堋ｽ窶堙債「窶卍ｩ窶朗ﾂ人ﾂ」窶堙ｰﾋ?凪?督｡窶堋ｷ窶堙ｩﾂ債ｷ窶｢ﾃ岩?廃ﾅ津ｪﾂ…窶堙??堋｢窶堋､ﾂ静?窶堙ｰﾂ渉･窶堋ｦ窶堙ｩﾂ人窶堋ｪ窶堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ。ﾅ?m窶堋ｩ窶堙可、窶堋ｻ窶堙娯?堙ｦ窶堋､窶堙嫁ｽg窶堙ｭ窶堙ｪ窶堙ｩ窶氾｡窶堙ｰ窶冦窶堙≫?堙??堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ。窶卍ｩ窶朗ﾂ坂?堋校窶堙娯?堋ｱ窶堙 窶堙ｰ窶｢ﾅｽ窶｢ﾃ娯?廬窶堙依?凪?督｡窶堙ｰﾂ最ｾ窶堙溪?堙?「ﾆ蛋ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?愴坦ﾆ脱ﾂ」窶堙遺?堙??堙?陳ｾ窶堋､窶堙娯?堙ｰ窶｢ﾂｷ窶堋｢窶堋ｽ窶堋ｱ窶堙??堋ｪ窶堋?窶堙ｨ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ。ﾅｽ窶樞?堙固?wﾂ青ｶﾅｽﾅｾ窶佚｣窶堙俄?堙坂?堙遺?堋ｩ窶堙≫?堋ｽﾅ陳ｾ窶杯窶堙??堋ｷ窶堋ｪﾂ、窶愬停?ｹﾅｾ窶堙可出窶堙??堋ｫ窶堙??堋ｩ窶堙ｧ窶ｰﾂｽ窶忸窶堙?窶｢ﾂｷ窶堋ｫ窶堙懌?堋ｵ窶堋ｽﾂ。
ﾂ ﾅｽﾃ?窶堙債「ﾆ弛ﾆ谷ﾆ蛋ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?慊」窶堙??堋｢窶堋､ﾅ蛋窶堙?「ﾆ弛ﾆ谷ﾂ」窶堙??枠窶堙敖坂?｡窶堙ｭ窶堋ｹ窶堙?ｽg窶堋､ﾂ「ﾆ蛋ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?慊」窶堙債、窶卍ｩ窶朗窶堙??堙坂?督ｳﾅ?ﾃ滅淡窶堙?、窶堋ｱ窶堙ｪ窶堙懌?堋ｽﾂ「窶ｹﾃｰ窶堋ｩﾂ」窶堙ｰﾋ?凪?督｡窶堋ｷ窶堙ｩﾂ「ﾆ蛋ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?慊」ﾂ…窶堙??堋ｷ窶堙ｩﾂ静?窶堋ｪ窶猫窶氾坂?堙??堋ｷﾂ。
ﾂ ﾂ「ﾆ蛋ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?慊」窶堋ｪ窶愿ｺ窶怒窶堙?津??堋ｭ窶堋ｩ窶堙ｧﾂ「窶ｹﾃｰ窶堋ｩﾂ」窶堙ｰﾋ?凪?督｡窶堋ｷ窶堙ｩﾅ陳ｾ窶杯窶堙??堋ｵ窶堙?ｽg窶堙ｭ窶堙ｪ窶堙??堋ｫ窶堋ｽﾂ湘倪?ｹ窶吮?堙??堋ｵ窶堙??堙債、窶督ｾﾅｽﾂ｡3窶扼ﾂ（1870窶扼ﾂ）窶堙俄?敖ｭﾅ?ﾂｧ窶堋ｳ窶堙ｪ窶堋ｽﾂ「ﾂ青ｼ窶芭窶慊ｹ窶吮??窶｢Gﾅ棚窶禿堕」窶堋ｪ窶堋?窶堙ｨ窶堙 窶堋ｷﾂ。ﾂ「ﾂ青ｼ窶芭窶慊ｹ窶吮??窶｢Gﾅ棚窶禿堕」窶堙娯?吮??窶堙俄?堙債「窶堙寂?堋ｩ窶堋ｾ窶堙個、窶堋ｿ窶堙･窶堙ｱ窶堋ｾ窶堙個、窶禿ｬﾋ廚ﾅ?ﾃ披?堋ｾ窶堙娯?堙?…ﾂ」窶堙??堋｢窶堋､窶｢\ﾅ陳ｻ窶堋ｪ窶堋?窶堙ｨﾂ、ﾂ「窶堙寂?堋ｩﾂ」ﾂ「窶堙娯?堙ｫ窶堙慊」窶堙??｢ﾃ?窶氾ｱ窶堋ｵ窶堙?「窶堋ｿ窶堙･窶堙ｱﾂ」窶堋ｪﾂ鞘?倪?堋ｩ窶堙ｪ窶堙??堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｷ ﾂ（窶堋ｱ窶堙戸彙窶堙坂?猫窶督ｼ窶堙?「ﾆ弛ﾆ谷ﾆ蛋ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?慊」窶堙嫁?ﾃ問?堋ｷ窶堙ｩﾋ彑ﾂ考窶堙??堙坂?｢K窶堋ｸﾋ?ｸ窶廃窶堋ｳ窶堙ｪ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ）ﾂ。窶督ｾﾅｽﾂ｡ﾂ鞘?ｰﾅ?ﾃｺ窶堙娯?堋ｱ窶堙固ｽﾅｾ窶佚｣窶堙可、ﾅ?ﾃｹ窶堙可「ﾆ弛ﾆ谷ﾆ蛋ﾆ停?｡ﾆ停?慊」窶堙??堋｢窶堋､ﾅ陳ｾ窶杯窶堋ｪﾅ?mﾅｽﾃ?窶堙俄?伉ｶﾂ催昶?堋ｵ窶堙懌?堋ｵ窶堋ｽﾂ。
ﾂ 窶堋ｱ窶堙個「ﾂ青ｼ窶芭窶慊ｹ窶吮??窶｢Gﾅ棚窶禿堕」窶堋ｪﾅ?ﾂｧﾂ行窶堋ｳ窶堙ｪ窶堋ｽ1870ﾂ〜76窶扼窶堙?陳ｾ窶堋､窶堙娯?堙債、窶愿ｺﾅ?ﾃ倪?｢ﾂｹﾂ坂?｡ﾋ?遺?楼窶堙??堋?窶堙ｨﾂ、ﾂ焦ｽ窶督ｯ窶堙固?ﾃ披?堙俄?堙懌?堋ｾ窶卍ｩ窶朗窶堙ｰ窶｢ﾃ固ｽ窶ｹ窶堋ｷ窶堙ｩ窶｢窶披?卍ｪ窶堙坂?堋?窶堙ｨ窶堙懌?堋ｹ窶堙ｱﾂ。窶堋ｿ窶堙遺?堙昶?堙可、窶凖ｨﾅ?ﾃｺ 窶廬窶堙可「窶卍ｩ窶朗窶凖環信ﾅｽgﾂ」窶堋ｪ窶適窶堙ｪ窶堙??堋｢窶堋ｽﾂ江ﾅ津暁ｽﾅｾ窶佚｣ﾅ津｣ﾅ?ﾃｺ窶堙懌?堙??堙債、窶卍ｩ窶朗窶堙債「窶伉ｸﾅ檀窶堋ｷ窶堙冷?堋ｫﾂ静ｦﾂ進窶｢ﾂｶ窶ｰﾂｻﾂ坂?倪?ｰﾃ?」窶堙姑辰ﾆ陳?ーﾆ淡窶堙坂?堋?窶堙≫?堙??堙?ﾂ、窶｢ﾃ固ｽ窶ｹ窶堋ｷ窶堙ｩﾂ人窶堙坂?堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｹ窶堙ｱ窶堙??堋ｵ窶堋ｽﾂ。

差別用語？

 

[A ke bono kane kotto]

Gypsies call non-gypsies gajo, or gaje, or gadja, or gorjer. It means the same as gaijin and is very pejorative. It means "outsider", someone who is not a member of the Gypsy community.

It's amazing how ithe meaning and pronuciation are similar to the Japanese "gaijin". I wonder if there is a link between the two ?

 

[kireikoori]

If Japanese is part of the Eurasiatic language family, then it would have connection to Indo-European language, and therefor possibly Romany as well.

I know that in the area of tone in language, Japanese is very similar to French.

Anyway, why would gaijin-san be worse than gaijin?
It's a formality, and a respectful one.

 

[Anohito]

I think it is difficult to say that the term "gaijin" is racist because it does not apply to a specific non-Japanese race. I agree that "gaijin" is at least not very polite. Rather than racist, I would say that it can very easily become an ethnocentric term.

I'm going a little off-topic now, but still generally on the subject of possible racial epithets.

When I was stationed in Hawaii (on the island of Oahu), I quickly became aware of the term "haole", which was directed at "white" people. It was easy to see that it was basically a derogatory term. People who lived on Oahu (I don't know about the other islands) tried to say things like, "Oh, it is not derogatory, it just means 'white'". Even "white" people who lived on Hawaii would make this excuse. However, I heard it used often enough to be quite sure that it was definitely not a neutral term when used by Hawaiians to refer to a "white" person. Now I am well aware that the native people of Hawaii have legitimate grievances against non-Hawaiians (for one thing, their land was basically stolen from them by the USA), but I think it is extremely hypocritical to use the term "haole" as an insult and insist that it is not an insult. It was especially ridulous to hear "white" residents use the term "haole" about themselves and each other with no sense of irony whatsoever. Imagine a Japanese person cheerfully using the insulting term "Jap" about himself or herself!

 

[sigmentofb]

When I was stationed in Hawaii (on the island of Oahu), I quickly became aware of the term "haole", which was directed at "white" people. It was easy to see that it was basically a derogatory term. People who lived on Oahu (I don't know about the other islands) tried to say things like, "Oh, it is not derogatory, it just means 'white'". Even "white" people who lived on Hawaii would make this excuse. However, I heard it used often enough to be quite sure that it was definitely not a neutral term when used by Hawaiians to refer to a "white" person. Now I am well aware that the native people of Hawaii have legitimate grievances against non-Hawaiians (for one thing, their land was basically stolen from them by the USA), but I think it is extremely hypocritical to use the term "haole" as an insult and insist that it is not an insult. It was especially ridulous to hear "white" residents use the term "haole" about themselves and each other with no sense of irony whatsoever. Imagine a Japanese person cheerfully using the insulting term "Jap" about himself or herself!

Yes, this is 100% true, I hear many times every day here and it is definitely a derogatory term, regardless of what people here say. Haole in Hawaiian actually means foreigner, not "white person" as many people think. So I guess, Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, Hispanics, etc. can be considered "haoles" as well.

 

[Kirie_Maiden]

Imagine a Japanese person cheerfully using the insulting term "Jap" about himself or herself!

I don't need to imagine this. I've witnessed it.

It's like the term Nigger though for black people (Oh God, how I hate that word). It is a particularly disgusting word that white people would NEVER use unless they were extremely racist, and to hear it from the mouth of a while person is to assume that the person in question is a complete idiot, but yet black people use it for themselves all the time. How many times have you heard black people, either in real life or on TV, saying, "What's up, Nigger?" to greet another black person? It's not just TV that shows this, before anybody says it. My sisters closest friend is black and her family do it all the time.

Surely "Gaijin" is just the same as, "Foreigner." It can be used as a racist slur, but this isn't the way in which it is always intended.

I have a book called "Gaijin." I haven't read it, but the blurb makes it seem like it is about a non-japanese member of the Yakuza. If the term was a racist slur, the author would not have been able to get away with it. I mean, can you imagine a book called, "Nigger," about a black Mafia member?

 

[Dogen Z]

It is if you believe it to be but it's not if you don't believe it to be. LIke art it's in the mind of the beholder.
AFAIK, there is no equivalent terms in Japanese that can match "slope," "chink," "nigger," "honkey," "wog," etc.

 

[Ashikaga]

How many times have you heard black people, either in real life or on TV, saying, "What's up, Nigger?" to greet another black person? It's not just TV that shows this, before anybody says it. My sisters closest friend is black and her family do it all the time.

Black people calling each other the N-word.... It is like they have taken this word that used to be used by the whites to demean them and claimed the ownership of it. It is like they are saying, "This is OURS now. You cannot use it any more.". It's a way of empowering yourself as unlikely as it sounds.

That is what I have read somewhere (Sorry, I cannot remember where) and I tend to agree.

I have heard some young Japanese hippity hoppity "musicians" try to emulate this sentiment by calling themselves the J-word. It could very well be that these Japanese kids have led lives constantly being descriminated because of their nationality but somehow I doubt that. It's probably more like they are wearing the attitude like another piece of clothing. Come to think of it, a lot of young blacks might be doing the exact same thing as well.

Now, the word Gaijin. I think it is being used among some foreigners in Japan in the same context as the one I mentioned above if with a little bit more of a "tongue in cheek" overtone.

I have posted a while ago saying that I did not believe it was a racial slur, and I still do not. Having said that, after a bit of thinking about the issue and reading other posts here, now I am of the opinion that it doesn't really matter how the word originally came to be or what the intentions are of the people using it. If this many people (according to this poll, over 30% of us who have vioted) find it objectionable/distasteful/insulting/discriminatory, then it IS.

"Oh no, I didn't mean it like THAT!" doesn't really cure feelings already hurt.

 

[tokapi]

I have posted a while ago saying that I did not believe it was a racial slur, and I still do not.

Having said that, after a bit of thinking about the issue and reading other posts here, now I am of the opinion that it doesn't really matter how the word originally came to be or what the intentions are of the people using it.

Exactly ...


Me too,don't think it's a racial slur

 

[kireikoori]

I do not believe gaijin is a racial slur either. It just means foreigner.
Words like pokopen on the other hand, are Japanese racial slurs.
ポコペン - Wikipedia

 

[tokapi]

This is more in line with Japanese racial slur for " gaijins "

日本人は白人のことを侮蔑して「ピンクのヒヒ」と呼んだりするわけです。

 

[Otenba]

I've been called gaijin alot, but mostly by people who were talking about me to others in order to distinct me from the Japanese people around. For example, in the fabric shop in Shibuya, one of the shop assistants told their colleague to get something ready for "gaijin-san", but hell, how else was that colleague supposed to know they had to cut some fabric for ME and not for one of the Japanese customers? "Gaijin" was the easiest way to describe and pinpoint me. I don't mean any bad by it when I say "That black dude" either, I mean, it's the best way to make sure the person you're talking to immediately knows who you're talking about. In a herd of black people, point a white person out as a white dude, in a herd of Japanese, point a foreigner out by saying gaijin, it's accurate and easy and up until now, I've never felt offended by it.

And "exclusion"... in the end, everyone excludes others to a certain degree. Metallers exclude gangstas, rastamen exclude goths, children exclude adults, heterosexual women exclude lesbian advances, rich people don't want bums in their homes, humans work that way. Most humans discriminate or exclude or differentiate in one way or another without meaning any bad by it. If they wouldn't, mankind would be one big fat flock of sheep all walking in the same direction...

 

[KirinMan]

and up until now, I've never felt offended by it.

Ok so now you feel offended by it, why's that?

 

[Otenba]

Misunderstanding. I still don't. I'm a gaijin, it's a fact which is neither positive nor negative.

 

[KirinMan]

Misunderstanding.

Everyone makes mistakes thank you for clarifying that.

I still don't. I'm a gaijin, it's a fact which is neither positive nor negative.

There are plenty that dont view it that way however.

 

[tada]

I don't think it's racist in and of itself, but the fact that someone says it instead of "that man/woman/person" is somewhat racist. It has a little racial connotation seeing that you're saying it instead of something more neutral.