Why do foreigners call themselves "gaijin"?

Question

I mean, can't they say foreigners?

gaijin = foreigners

Right?

So why gaijin?

Answer 1

Non-Japanese people use the term gaijin because they feel it is okay to say it. The same goes for 'foreigner.' Gaijin is not a polite term and I have never known a Japanese person to use it in any other way than to be be rude or offensive. It's rude and we know that. Younger people may not be as aware of it's implications but that doesn't change the meaning. Gaikokujin is better. I think it is closer to foreign national in English, like Abby said. Nevertheless, being called 'foreign' isn't really nice wherever you are. It makes person feel that they don't belong or are a stranger. Use of n-word is never nice. I do not think that is a good example and don't reason to bring that up in this topic. People who use term are either trying to cause offense or very ignorant of where it comes from and what it is meant to mean. It is horrible thing to say and should never be used. Gaijin or foreigner is not as strong but again should not be used. I teach my children not to say it because it is wrong and very rude. If people I know used it I would correct them. People who use it 'innocently' with non-Japanese friends should know better. You may not have a problem with using the term or having it applied to you but that won't make gaijin any less rude. Maybe some are called it often so they feel they should call themselves that too. I think that is sad. They should not endorse the label. We are all people.

Answer 2

Foreigner and gaijin might be the 'same' word in both languages, but foreigner does not mean the same thing as gaijin. I do not mean to say gaijin is offensive, i just mean the words carry different feelings, implications, etc. It is that simple.



Words are not just words, they mean things. Should you ever pick up another language, if you have not all ready, you will see what i mean.



Hence, the phrase 'lost in translation.' Some things can be translated precisely in a different language, but there is more to language than just words.

Answer 3

The concept of being PC isn't nearly as big of a deal in Japan but this word is one of the very few examples of questionable words.



The word foreigner hardly expresses the level of you-are-not-like-me sentiment that gaijin has so it makes sense to use it in English. People using it to refer to themselves is, as people said, very similar to blacks calling themselves *******. It's kind of an ironic protest and a way to cope with the hearing the word alot because you will hear the word a lot. The word ****** is MUCH more hostile however. If a Japanese person calls you gaijin, it just sounds internationally ignorant and full of good, bad or neutral stereotypical ideas about you, not neccisarily hateful ones.



I think the foreigners who use it are usually really frustrated with the way they are seen by a lot of Japanese (and understandably) but I don't think using it really positive (maybe in jokes its ok, but only if they are understood by everyone). There are many people who will treat you as an equal in Japan but the 20-40% who will treat you well but like another species and make you feel very alone are much more memorable sometimes. These people usually do not recognize that such reasonable people also exist in Japan.



EDIT: Gaijin-sama is a really funny one to hear, its basically expressing honor towards you while at the same time isolating you, its fairly common.

Answer 4

Well, internationals or those that have emigrated to Japan would use Japanese terminology as they would being speaking Japanese. Gaikokujin literally means foreign national whereas as gaijin means foreigner. To say 'foreigner' in English would be rude so foreign national be considered the better term although international would be the best term I feel. Gaijin like 'foreigner' is rude and shouldn't really be used by anyone, Japanese or not. Why do non-Japanese use the term? Probably because they know Japanese people that use the term freely and wish to use the term as some Japanese people do. Still that doesn't make it any less rude. Just as if someone were to call me a 'foreigner' in English I would be offended it'd be the same if I were called 'gaijin' in Japanese. Like mixed heritage Japanese, like myself, are called 'half' that too is rude. In English calling someone 'half-cast' is very derogatory. Even though gaijin may roll off the tongue easier that doesn't change it's meaning or connotations. The 'n-word' is not a good analogy. It's never acceptable to call someone that, regardless of skin colour. The same goes for 'Jap' or 'Paki.' They're all offensive and shouldn't be used at all.

Answer 5

There are a few reasons:

It's slang, a derogatory word that we have taken ownership of.

Like the "n-word", we can use it if we choose, within our community, but those outside cannot, without fear (or the intention) of causing offense.



"Gaijin" means, for those who live here, "A foreigner living in Japan" as opposed to a "Gwailo" (鬼佬) which is the same thing, but for Hong Kong.



Both Gwailo and Gaijin have a negative connotation, but are often used innocently and with affection by Japanese when referring to foreign friends. When the sweet old lady at the store calls you a gaijin, it's like an American old lady referring to a black person as a "colored person." They don't use the term with malice, so it's hard to get mad. When a cop makes the same errors, it's different...



(The proper, official term is "Gaikokujin" (外国人) )



It feels unnatural to refer to yourself as a "foreigner", so using a different word can be easier. It rolls off the tongue easier, as well.



It helps distinguish those who live here from the tourists—we have our "Gaijin Cards" after all. (The "Gaikokujin torokushou" is the registration card we must carry at all times.)



Like the "n-word," we can use it in a derogatory fashion:

"Don't act like such a stupid, drunken gaijin..."



That said, there are some people who despise the use of the word, even casually. I have one gaijin friend who gets furious every time he hears the word.



We use a lot of Japanese words mixed in with English. Here's an example of a typical sentence from normal conversation between foreign residents:



"Let's meet at Hachiko at eight and then head to the izakaya. If you don't see me, call my keitai. Bill's working late at his kaisha, but he'll probably show up for the nijikai. We'll probably head to the other place for takoyaki and a couple of nama's."



After a while, they don't even feel like foreign words.





Edit: Contrary to what someone else said, the word Gaijin certainly is used negatively by Japanese. It's on the list of prohibited words for print and broadcast media (http://monoroch.net/gallery/kinshi/) as well as government.

Ignorance doesn't make it acceptable.

Edit 2:

The argument that foreigners are responsible is ridiculous. It's a pejorative term and emphasizes Japanese ethnocentrism. Of course we are offended when it is used by Japanese about us.



Japanese people know it is offensive to us, but some use it anyway. They do this because they know the effect it has upon the listener.

Who made it offensive is irrelevant. It's offensive and shouldn't be used by Japanese when talking about foreigners.

BTW, the word "Jap" was originally not offensive either. It was 1880's British slang for anything Japanese. Does that mean I should feel free to use it?

Answer 6

It is a bit like a stamp put on you. After all, the Japanese call us that way...oh...gaijin dayo. Maybe residing foreigners are angry because they don't want to get confused with tourists. Why don't they call us zainin...oops ...I meant zairyuhomin. Gaijin or outsider is someone who has no knowledge of the Japanese culture. It is the same problem in Latin America, they call foreigners gringo.

After a while, I didn't care anymore either and the word lost its initial meaning. I am a gaijin in Japan and a gringa in Mexico. I am proud to be me and I am proud to know nothing.

Answer 7

Those foreigners happen to confuse the word gaijin to be some kind of a deregatory term. We can't possibly interpret their mixed feelings but I think the equivalent case would be black people calling themselves by n-word.



Unlike the word 'Jap', gaijin doesnt have a history of deregatory use. While 'Jap' links with anti-Japanese sentiment at the height of WWII, gaijin has been nothing but a commonly used word that means foreigners, especially those from Western countries. It is uncommon to call those of Chinese, Koreans and other people of asian heritage, gaijin. Thus, even if the origin of the word is debatable, it clearly is not as simple as an abbreviation of another word, like Jap is for Japanese. Also, although gaijin can reflect the speaker's nagative feelings toward foreigners depending on how one uses it, the same goes for 'gaikokujin', and 'foreigner' in English.



The only people who use gaijin in a deregatory fashion is gaijin themselves. Kinda like a circular reasoning for word-Nazism.





Edit: That some members of the media are aware of how the word is viewed by foreigners doesn't mean our use of the word is illegitimate. Many feel it is contradictory to the word's neutrality that members of the media decreed it's a prohibited word. What I am emphasising is that we didn't start it, you started it.





Again, Jap was made into a deregatory term by Americans, who had enough reason to do so, who were contemptuous to us, to whom the Japanese were the enemy. On the other hand, gaijin has become an offensive term at least to you not by our hands, but by someone-else's. What taught me the word is offensive was not Japanese people, but a Hollywood movie. I think you should teach using gaijin is offensive before you are offended because not a small fraction of people don't know that.

Answer 8

We seem to have diverged somewhat from the original question, but I would just like to say that I don't mind being called a Gaijin. Hell anything has to be better than being called an American

Answer 9

a good question thanks for asking it, some good answers too.

i don't think i can shed any light on the debate because both sides are correct, it's true i sometime refer to myself as gaijin when i'm with my western friends and it's true i sometimes feel offended when japanese use the term toward me, mostly i don't because in most cases it's used or i feel it's used with no intent to demean.

Answer 10

Because that's the Japanese word they use to call foreigners