Gaijin (外人) is a Japanese word meaning “non-Japanese”, or “alien”. This word is a short form of gaikokujin (外国人), which literally means “person (or people) from outside of the country”. The word is composed of two kanji: gai (外?), meaning “outside”; and jin (人?), meaning “person”. Thus, the word technically means “outsider”. The word can refer to nationality, race, or ethnicity, but in Japanese these are generally conflated, as the nation is considered by them to be composed of a single ethnic group.

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Shibuya | Fall 2011