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Like a Rolling Stone · Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 872

So I went to this girl Keiko's house Very Happy

and her mum was talking at dinner. I didn't understand everything Keiko's Mum said because I haven't picked up the lingo yet, but I did understand "Do you want beer?" Very Happy

I said yes please of course, and yes I said that in Japanese. But when she was talking about me she sometimes said "gaijin" and then stopped and said "I mean gaikokujin". I wonder if it is a bad word?
Some foreigners call themselves "gaijin". Waht do you think? Is it good, bad or just a word? Confused

Synne · Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Posts: 269 Location: Tohoku

I believe it is as rude as walking up to any asian in North America and saying "Hey foreigner/outsider!"

If you dont find that rude then you can truly believe Japan to be racist free.

Like a Rolling Stone · Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 872

Sherri · Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 7:12 pm Post subject:

I didn't vote because I think whether or not you can use the word gaijin depends on who "you" are and who you are talking to. I think it is OK to say gaijin if you are a gaijin and you are talking to your close friends (probably but not necessarily gaijin) in an informal situation. I do not think it is OK for non-gaijins to use this word (unless a very good friend in an informal situation). I don't think it should ever be used in formal situations. In English I prefer people to use non-Japanese if they really have to make this distinction.

Best
Sherri

Like a Rolling Stone · Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 872

Hi Sherri, thanks for the comment. I know that the poll could be improved. I made a slight mistake because I did have another category "It depends..." but I didn't enter it some how. Confused

Jazz1975 · Joined: 14 Feb 2006 Posts: 301 Location: Zama, Kanagawa

Like a Rolling Stone · Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 872

angrysoba · Joined: 20 Jan 2006 Posts: 446 Location: Kansai, Japan

Do we really need anymore of these ridiculous, ill-conceived polls?

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Soba: I agree with you about the poll, but I wouldn't be too hard on Rolling. I don't think he's been on Dave's long enough to realize that this topic is sure to cause a lot of problems and disagreement. Either that or it's a clever troll attempt. But I have nothing to suspect malicious intent here.

If you do a search you will find that not only has this been discussed to death, but it's been the object of much cussing, fussing, and people yelling at each other. It's very much akin to the use of other racial slurs in other languages. To me, the use of the word is no better than the word n****r in English to describe African Americans. No one in their right mind would use it other than racists and sometimes African Americans to describe themselves (which some see as carte blanche to use the word freely).

Anyway, I have my opinions on this topic, and I know that there are many who disagree with me also. Probably best to leave this one alone. Do a search on Dave's for the words "gaijin" and "bad". I suspect you will find more than you bargained for.

abufletcher · Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 11:30 pm Post subject:

To me it's a lot like when I would be called "gringo" or "guero" in Mexico -- it all depended on WHO did the calling and HOW they did it!

alexrocks · Joined: 13 Feb 2006 Posts: 75 Location: Kyoto, Japan

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Alex, what is really strange is when Japanese travel overseas and refer to locals as "gaijin" though its the japanese who are the "gaijin" when travelling. Japanese get very upset when you call them "gaijin" while overseas which means they are very sensitive about it.

http://www.debito.org/kumegaijinissue.html

What I do find odd is foriegners calling each other gaijins, even when speaking English. Maybe Im just sensitive but it seems strange to use a japanese word like that when speaking English.

e.g. do Japanese girls date gaijins?

Gaijin is NOT English.

Gaijin itself is not a bad word as its an abbreviation of 'gaikokujin' but it depends on HOW it is used. It can be used in a very derogatory or insulting way e.g. to exclude people. I have had gaijin used on me as a racial slur and its like being called n--r. in the US.

I think people get offended because of the notion of exclusivity and separation. As Jim say, this subject has been thrashed to death on this forum.

Brooks · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1369 Location: Sagamihara

it is like when I was living in Texas and was called a Yankee.
I would have liked to have been called a New Yorker instead.

In Japan I would rather be called an Americajin, instead of a gaijin.

Hoser · Joined: 19 Mar 2005 Posts: 694 Location: Toronto, Canada

I refer to myself as "gaijin" all the time. Usually I refer to myself as "stupid gaijin"

cornishmuppet · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 642 Location: Nagano, Japan

Doesn`t bother me at all. To me it just means foreigner, which is what in fact I am. When I lived in Italy I was a `straneiro` which means the same. I would never go up to someone in England and call them a foreigner because nine times out of ten they would turn out to be as British as me, but Japan is a very (whats the right word?) homogenous(?) country.

No one I know is offended by the word gaijin, but people are entitled to their opinion. In context it could be used offensively of course, but I don`t think that it quite compares with words like `N------r`. I`ve never seen the word `foreigner` listed under the taboo words in Swan`s English Grammar.