Burakumin

[boor-uh-koo-min]

plural noun

1. (in Japan) the members of a large social minority who have traditionally been considered outcasts.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Burakumin¹

1965–70; < Japanese, equivalent to buraku settlement, ghetto (< Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese bùlùo (or bùlào ) settlement, village) + -min people (< Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese mín )

Example Sentences

Seattle’s ordinance banning caste-based discrimination would also cover, for example, the historically oppressed Roma people, the Burakumin of Japan and Bantu and Yibir, Gabooye, and Tumal communities of Somalia.

Read more on Seattle Times

The vocal group Akai Tori sings an eerie traditional ballad about the burakumin, an ostracized social group; it was still a taboo subject, so the song was banned from the radio.

Read more on New York Times

Such fantasies rarely involve being, say, a burakumin, but Igort’s drawings of that posh, tidy vision are beautiful enough to get away with it.

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Talking about death is still taboo for some Japanese—and in parts of the country the burakumin, an often ostracised group who are descendants of medieval outcasts, still fill a large share of jobs in the funeral business.

Read more on Economist

The demolition of thousands of wooden shacks in the area earmarked for development forced residents – among them forced Korean labourers and members of the burakumin underclass – to relocate to the banks of the Ota River.

Read more on The Guardian