Japanese word

二世

Pronunciation

Romajinisei

Meaning

  • nounsecond-generation Japanese

Example

彼はアメリカ生まれの日系二世です。kare wa a me ri ka u ma re no nik kei ni sei de su

He is a second-generation Japanese American born in the United States.

Illustration for 二世 (second-generation Japanese)

More examples

この地域には日本語を話せる二世が多いです。ko no chi iki ni wa nihon go o hana se ru ni sei ga ō i de su

There are many second-generation Japanese Americans in this area who can speak Japanese.

Core concept

The term identifies a person born in a new country to parents who immigrated there from Japan, marking both family descent and the second generation.

Common phrases

  • 日系二世nik kei ni sei

    second-generation Japanese American

Definition in Japanese

外国へ移住した日本人を親に持ち、移住先の国で生まれた第二世代の人。gai koku e i jū shi ta nihonjin o oya ni mo chi i jū saki no kuni de u ma re ta dai ni se dai no hito

Word origin

二世 (nisei) is a Sino-Japanese compound of 二 (ni, "two") and 世 (sei, "generation"), referring to the second generation of a family or immigrant community.

Usage tips

  • The English loanword nisei appears in accounts of Japanese American history, where it identifies a generation born in the United States after their parents immigrated from Japan.

Word lists with this word