gaijin
Non-Japanese in Japan
Gaijin is Japanese for foreigner or outsider, literally "outside person." The word entered English through contact with Japan, where it labels anyone who isn't ethnically Japanese.
In English contexts, gaijin typically refers to Westerners in Japan or appears in discussions of Japanese culture and attitudes toward outsiders: As a gaijin, I was always conscious of being stared at on the train.
Non-native being
- outsiderOne excluded from group
- strangerPerson not yet known
- nonnativeNot indigenous to a place
- expatriateOne living abroad permanently
tourist · visitor · traveler · newcomer · guest · sojourner · transient · overseas
Quality of being unlike
- unfamiliarityLack of prior knowledge
- curiosityDesire to learn
- exoticStrikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
- noveltyQuality of being original
unfamiliar · misfit · outsider · alienation · isolation · language barrier · integration · assimilation
Travel authorization stamp
- work permitOfficial employment eligibility document
- residencyState of dwelling somewhere
- naturalizationLegal path to belonging
- citizenshipStatus as state member
resident · expat · ALT · salaryman · long-term · short-term · JET · immigrant
alien
Non-native being
expatriate · tourist · visitor · traveler · newcomer · guest · sojourner · transient · overseas · international
otherness
Quality of being unlike
- unfamiliarityLack of prior knowledge
- curiosityDesire to learn
- exoticStrikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
novelty · unfamiliar · misfit · outsider · alienation · isolation · language barrier · integration · assimilation · adaptation
visa
Travel authorization stamp
- work permitOfficial employment eligibility document
- residencyState of dwelling somewhere
- naturalizationLegal path to belonging
citizenship · resident · expat · ALT · salaryman · long-term · short-term · JET · immigrant · permanent resident