Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A person born to parents who emigrated from Japan.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a person born outside of Japan of parents who were born in Japan

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a person born in the United States of parents who emigrated from Japan

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Japanese : ni, two, second (from Early Middle Chinese ɲih; also the source of Mandarin èr) + sei, generation (from Middle Chinese ʂaj`; also the source of Mandarin shì (the Middle Chinese form ultimately being from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *lap, leaf, in reference to the renewal of foliage with each year)).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Japanese second generation

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Examples

  • The outfielder was known as the "Nisei Jackie Robinson" for breaking into Japanese baseball and building ties between the countries in a highly sensitive period after World War II.

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2011

  • Once investigated, the Nisei should be allowed to take jobs in defense plants.

    IsThatLegal? 2003

  • Japanese Americans, commonly known as Nisei, were identified as qualifying for honorary degrees.

    latimes.com - News 2010

  • Leah Nash for The Wall Street Journal Swing dancing at Minidoka and nine other camps gave "Nisei," or children born in the U.S. to Japanese immigrants, a way to assert their American-ness.

    Minidoka Swing 2010

  • Leah Nash for The Wall Street Journal Swing dancing at Minidoka and nine other camps gave "Nisei," or children born in the U.S. to Japanese immigrants, a way to assert their American-ness.

    Minidoka Swing 2010

  • Leah Nash for The Wall Street Journal Swing dancing at Minidoka and nine other camps gave "Nisei," or children born in the U.S. to Japanese immigrants, a way to assert their American-ness.

    Minidoka Swing 2010

  • Their plan called for a number of things: FDR was urged to go on record as believing in the loyalty of American citizens of Japanese ancestry (the "Nisei").

    IsThatLegal? 2003

  • A documentary was shown, detailing the history and impact of the 442nd and its 100th "Nisei" Battalion.

    The Seattle Times 2009

  • A documentary was shown, detailing the history and impact of the 442nd and its 100th "Nisei" Battalion.

    The Seattle Times 2009

  • A documentary was shown, detailing the history and impact of the 442nd and its 100th "Nisei" Battalion.

    The Seattle Times 2009

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