Is "Gaijin" a Racist Slur?

[Damicci]

I don't have a problem with the word, although I understand that when you look at the word closely it sounds racist. When I talk about myself as a foreigner in Japan, I call myself Gaijin, my wife calls me gaijin and also friends call me gaijin.
When a person looks at you and says heyzz gaijin, it means heyz foreigner! so I don't see any difference in gaijin, foreigner, or person from another country.
So the WORD itself isn't racist in my opinion

clap clap it's not the word it's the way it is used. Some use it wrongfully other mean no harm.
Meh Anyway I am done beating this horse.

 

[Mike Cash]

How many of you are saying "call xxx gaijin" when what you really mean is "refer to xxx as gaijin" ?

 

[Glenn]

...Either that or they ask me "Do other gaikokujin yaddayadda?"

It bugged me that even my wife would ask me such questions as "how do gaijin do this ?" or "what do gaijin think about this ?" when she meant either Westerners, or Europeans, or Belgians, or just my relatives... (depending on the question).

Did you answer them with 窶堋ｻ窶堙ｱ窶堙遺?堋ｱ窶堙??冦窶堙≫?堙??堙ｩ窶堙ｭ窶堋ｯ窶堙銀?堋ｦ窶堋ｾ窶堙ｫﾂ！ﾆ狸ﾆ辰ﾆ淡ﾆ停?懌?堙坂?堙昶?堙ｱ窶堙遺?慊ｯ窶堋ｶ窶堙遺?堙ｭ窶堋ｯ窶堋ｶ窶堙｡窶堙遺?堋｢窶堋ｺﾂ。("how the hell am I supposed to know that?! It's not like all foreigners are the same.")? I think that something like that would be my answer (or a more polite version, depending on who the person is).

 

[Maciamo]

Did you answer them with 窶堋ｻ窶堙ｱ窶堙遺?堋ｱ窶堙??冦窶堙≫?堙??堙ｩ窶堙ｭ窶堋ｯ窶堙銀?堋ｦ窶堋ｾ窶堙ｫﾂ！ﾆ狸ﾆ辰ﾆ淡ﾆ停?懌?堙坂?堙昶?堙ｱ窶堙遺?慊ｯ窶堋ｶ窶堙遺?堙ｭ窶堋ｯ窶堋ｶ窶堙｡窶堙遺?堋｢窶堋ｺﾂ。("how the hell am I supposed to know that?! It's not like all foreigners are the same.")? I think that something like that would be my answer (or a more polite version, depending on who the person is).

Of course I answer that ! I have said that to hundreds of people when I was in Japan. I sometimes felt like my life was telling people that not all non-Japanese were alike ! Talk of pissing me !

 

[caster51]

Of course I answer that ! I have said that to hundreds of people when I was in Japan. I sometimes felt like my life was telling people that not all non-Japanese were alike ! Talk of pissing me !

I think it is natural to call you a gaijin because of your comments.
You also are generalizing the Japanese by a lot of prejudices.
you try to generalize the Japanese more.
than you are also generalized as gaijin

 

[JimmySeal]

Maciamo and I and probably others are speaking from personal experience, not prejudice. We've had Japanese people talk to us this way dozens of times and we're not trying to say that all Japanese people talk that way, but a lot do, while you claim that none do.

If we wanted to act in a similar way, we'd be saying things like, "I hate how Asians are always calling me a gaijin. They're all the same." But the next time someone asks me, "Do all foreigners own guns?" I think I'll reply, "No. Do all Asians own samurai swords?"

 

[Glenn]

If we wanted to act in a similar way, we'd be saying things like, "I hate how Asians are always calling me a gaijin. They're all the same." But the next time someone asks me, "Do all foreigners own guns?" I think I'll reply, "No. Do all Asians own samurai swords?"

Yeah, after I posted what I did earlier, I thought that I might go with a question similar to theirs to see how they reacted, like you "samurai swords" example.

 

[caster51]

personal experience

it is the most important for him.
I can undeestand why he is called gajin bocause of his comments that are inculuded in all category.
it has nothing to do with ppl who does not know at all.
he is fooled.
he must notice abou that early.

 

[GodEmperorLeto]

When there's a Chinese or asian person those stupid people say something like "ching chang chong" or make karate moves with the sounds or act like total retards.

Sounds like they are total retards, then.

One probably notices after a little time in Japan that Japanese people use the word "gaikokujin" more than we would usually use the word "foreigner."

Yeah. We have a tendency to actually ask people where they are from. If we don't know exactly which country a person is from, we'll go by continent, and say "European, Middle-Eastern, Asian, Indian, South American/Latin American, African."

To be honest, at least 80% of the times I've ever said the word, "foreigner" it was in reference to the band.

I think it's silly to think that the Japanese should invent a new word for "foreigner." What's insulting about "gaikokujin" is the way it's used, not its etymology.

It is silly. They shouldn't.

I don't think that Americans are in the best position to judge Japanese society on this because justly the USA is too diverse and multiethnic, and does not have a long-standing and fairly homogenous culture (everybody brings their own culture, as they say).

This is actually one of the reasons Americans rarely say "foreigner". Most of the foreign-born people I know well ended up staying here, making "foreign" a temporary term in many instances. Except for some few Southerners, most Americans will admit that the location of your birth and heritage of your parents isn't what makes you American, it is what you think and feel, and what language you speak.

Honestly, though, it is often difficult for us to go to other countries, because to us, nationality can be a choice. And when we travel abroad, and realize that, at best, we can only be American expatriates but never anything more, it is a very difficult thing to come to terms with.

 

[Mike Cash]

I guess that those who have no problem its use are those who see themselves so different from the Japanese that they will never be associated with them. These are the people who haven t tried to integrate into Japanese society.

I'm not sure I like being told I haven't tried to integrate into Japanese society by someone who couldn't cut it in Japan when he found out it wasn't a nation of people who think, speak, and act like Western Europeans while looking like Asians. In fact, were I not so bemused I might go so far as to take offense at it.

And don't get me started on how hilarious it is that the very people who take the most offense at having their foreignness pointed out or commented on in general rely on their foreignness to put a roof over their heads and food on their tables while they're here.

 

[Elizabeth]

I guess that those who have no problem its use are those who see themselves so different from the Japanese that they will never be associated with them. These are the people who haven t tried to integrate into Japanese society. Given the numerous negative connotation of the word "gaijin", I would say one must also be fairly thick-skinned or, on the contrary, naive to like being called like that.

It doesn't sound from this like you see yourself as very similar to the average person either....:?

I don't have anything to add on the the difference that context makes with the use of "gaijin." That's been covered to say the least. Just to make it clear though, I'm not sure anyone has said that they 'like' these terms or prefer them over a more specific word. Even sensitive and well-meaning Japanese people will try to minimize its frequency.

 

[Mars Man]

During my stay here in Japan, I can only recall two times that someone had called me 'gaijin' in a setting (context and tone of voice) that would have been negative, or with ill intent.

To that extent, I have never had any problems with it. I am aware of those who choose 'gaikoku jin' for political correctness, but understand that 'gaijin' would of course fit perfectly there without any ill will or sense of slur. MM

 

[Rich303]

But isn't that the case? Unless they come up with new classifications for Non Japanese residents in Japan (e.g. American-Japanese, African-Japanese, Chinese-Japanese) Like we have here then thats what you are. Non Japanese, a foreigner. It's not like it's "really" meant to say "Hey you guys are not Japanese hahaha we shall label you hahaha" It's mainly classification. Unless I am missing something, there is no true intentional disrepect with the word. Just some Japanese can use it offensively if they choose.

I would tend to agree with what Damicci said above.

I heard my friend refer to me as gaijin on the phone, when booking a hotel room for me in Tokyo. It didn't bother me because she was just letting the hotel owner the situation. I scrape by in Japanese and it might be difficult for a Japanese person who doesn't speak English, so she needed to check if it was OK for me (a foreigner) to stay there.

 

[Minty]

Of course I answer that ! I have said that to hundreds of people when I was in Japan. I sometimes felt like my life was telling people that not all non-Japanese were alike ! Talk of pissing me !

I can relate to this, I totally understand why you feel this way, but my experiences varies from people of many different ethnic groups who make judgement based on ignorance, unlike yours that seems to mainly concentrated on Japanese people.

I dislike the use of 窶昶?卍人 for Caucasians only because to me East Asians are as white as Caucasians.

Ha-ha, my husband also said I have white skins.

 

[Gaijinian]

The first night I arrived in Japan, I was sitting in Mosu Ba-ga-, and some little kid just kept asking his mom, "Gaijin-san, dare?" Gaijin-san, for Christ's sakes. I highly doubt he would have asked his mom, "nihonjin san dare?," had I have been Japanese...

 

[Kaleikuiha]

E? Doko na... Anywho the whole Gaijin thing is what it is... since I'm not a citizen of Nihon nor am I Nihonjin in any way... I know that I'll be a Gaijin but atleast I'm not called yanki, shiro, or something for more insilent than baka Gaijin! ^^;;
Ja ne!

 

[Minty]

The first night I arrived in Japan, I was sitting in Mosu Ba-ga-, and some little kid just kept asking his mom, "Gaijin-san, dare?" Gaijin-san, for Christ's sakes. I highly doubt he would have asked his mom, "nihonjin san dare?," had I have been Japanese...

Hmmm you know it appears in homogenous societies like Japan and Taiwan, kids over there are so curious about foreigners.

Gaijinian when are you going to Taiwan?

 

[Gaijinian]

I leave August 17.

 

[Hachiro]

The first night I arrived in Japan, I was sitting in Mosu Ba-ga-, and some little kid just kept asking his mom, "Gaijin-san, dare?" Gaijin-san, for Christ's sakes. I highly doubt he would have asked his mom, "nihonjin san dare?," had I have been Japanese...

So..you are the "gaijin-san" I also give the kid a TON of credit for attaching -san.

Also if you knew enough Japanese to understand that, why didn't you just turn look the kid in the eye and say "Boku-da!"

The kid probably would have shut up in an instant and the mother would be apologizing for her child's rudeness.

If you don't like it then say something.

 

[Gaijinian]

If you don't like it then say something.

One hyphenated word: JET-LAG.

Anyway, it seems Europe is just as racist as Japan, really. The way the treat their Muslims... I was watching this one Canadian news report, and this one English woman kept complaining about Muslims dressing in traditional Muslim cloths. She was saying things around the lines of, "They're in our country, they should act like us... I'd act like them in their country ,"ect... I doubt her statement was true, though...

Plus, I was listening to NPR, and I heard a report about banning racial slurs and attacks at the World Cup; apparently this was a big deal, as racial slurs were so common...
So...

 

[Kaleikuiha]

Ufufufufufu... "Gaijin san dare?" It's wierd thou I get.. "are you asian?" When I don't even look Asian in any way well that I can tell. I just get "Oh, you speak Japanese!" when I'm answering all of their questions in Nihongo.

 

[Hachiro]

One hyphenated word: JET-LAG.

Was it that big of a deal? Can you honestly say you were offended?

If I started writing here how many times I have heard the word used in 20 years of living here this message board would run out of server space.

It probably doesnt help much that I literally stand head and shoulders above just about everyone else here too!

 

[Gaijinian]

Was it that big of a deal? Can you honestly say you were offended?

I don't know if I was offended, but I was surprised at how blatantly he asked.

If I could re-do the situation, I would have said, "Amerika no daitouryou da yo." It surely would have been funny... Zannenn

 

[Hachiro]

I don't know if I was offended, but I was surprised at how blatantly he asked.

Fair enough, welcome to Japan.

I would be willing to make a guess that the kid never had any second thoughts about using the word either.

The word isn't a racist slur, nor is it demeaning either.

 

[Gaijinian]

...nor is it demeaning either.

Surely it can be! I have studied Japanese language and culture ﾋ?ｪﾂ青ｶﾅ椎凪?督ｽ for over half of my life, and yet I am still an outsider just because I was not born in Japan... To me, it is slightly demeaning; then again, it depends on the person. This is not a black-white, I'm right you're wrong typed issue.

Anyone know the book 窶冢窶ｹ窶ｦ窶堙娯?｢ﾃ?窶堋ｫ窶｢ﾃｻ? Well, I bought it for Taiwan, and there was this great caption: 窶弖窶｢ﾃｪ(the name of the place)窶堙最?Oﾂ坂?伉人窶堙｢窶佚､ﾋ徘窶堙娯?堋ｨ窶ｹﾃ?ﾅｽﾂ昶?堋ｿ窶堋ｪ窶伉ｽ窶堋｢ﾂ住窶佚ｮﾅ?Xﾂ。 That made me smile, cuz guess what! in this case, Gaikokujin includes Nihonjin!