Nisei
/niːˈseɪ/noun
A person of Japanese ancestry born in the country where their immigrant parents settled, especially a second-generation Japanese American.
Did you know?Many Nisei served in the highly decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II, even while Japanese Americans faced incarceration in the United States.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Japanese
Japanese
二世
“A compound of 二 (ni, “two”) and 世 (sei, “generation” or “world”).”
Middle Chinese period
Sino-Japanese
二 (ni) / 世 (sei)
“The Sino-Japanese readings descend from Chinese numeral and generational terms transmitted through written culture.”
19th–20th Century
Japanese
二世 (nisei)
“Literally “second generation”; used for children of Japanese emigrants born abroad.”
Early 20th Century
English
Nisei
“An English loanword referring especially to second-generation Japanese Americans.”
World War II
English
Nisei
“A widely used identity and demographic term during the incarceration of Japanese Americans and the service of Nisei soldiers.”
Modern English
English
Nisei
“A person born abroad or outside Japan to Japanese immigrant parents, particularly in American usage.”
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