Gaijin

It seems many foreigners think Gaijin as a derogatory term. It is sure that some Japanese dictionaries explain Gaijin is an injurious word. However, you shouldn't believe entirety of what dictionaries indicate. Gaijin is not derogatory term in many case, rather, in most case, it doesn't mean scorn. There are many great foreign people called Gaijin in Japan.



For instance, R.Bass who was a player of Hanshin Tigers (Professional base ball player) called God, Buddha as well as Gaijin. I'm sure I called him Gaijin. However, we haven't disesteemed him but we look enviously at him.



In additions, Dr. Clark who was a first second master of Hokkaido university is also called Gaijin. He handed down a great wards that "Boys, be ambitious!" to Japanese boys, and he is respected even now. As for others Koizumi Yakumo who is a novelist, Spielberg and others also respected Gaijin.



I wonder why those Japanese dictionaries don't explain what I say here. It is sure that Gaikokujin is better word. However, literary person shouldn't miss the meaning we usually use. Or foreigners have thought they are discriminated.



Gaijin's Gai means outside, and jin means people or person. Even though gai also means unorthodoxy, I never hard "Gaijin" used as a discrimination word by itself. Namely, Gaijin means just a foreigner, therefore we use the word when we complain about a bad foreigner as well as we commend one foreigner. For example, we say "he is a nice gaijin", we call a foreigner Gaijin-san with the fondness of a close associate. If Gaijin means discrimination, maybe we have to say Gaijin-san is also a discrimination word.



Now I consulted a dictionary now, it explain that Gaijin means 内輪でない人（not inner race), 他人（ others), （外部の人）outlander. I don't think those are derogatory term.



I took the photo at Cyusonji in Tohoku district.