Nisei

American  

[nee-say, nee-say] / ˈni seɪ, niˈseɪ /

Or nisei

noun

• Nisei
  plural

1. a person of Japanese descent, born and educated in the U.S. or Canada.

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Nisei British  

/ ˈniːseɪ /

noun

1. a native-born citizen of the United States or Canada whose parents were Japanese immigrants

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Nisei Cultural  

1. Persons whose parents were born in Japan but who were themselves born outside Japan. Many Nisei were moved by force in the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Nisei
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of Nisei

1940–45, < Japanese: literally, second generation; earlier ni-seĩ < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese èr two, second + shēng birth

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Nisei

At Nisei, a restaurant in San Francisco, chef David Yoshimura now offers a five-course meal of just desserts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Ellie Estrada-Londo, the pastry chef at Nisei, debuted its dessert tasting menu last October, after working at the San Francisco restaurant for about four years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Ten feet tall and made of black lacquered wood decorated with gold, the shrine was carried in the Nisei Week Festival parade in Little Tokyo in August 1960, The Times reported.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2024

Participants will gather at the Nisei War Memorial Monument in Lake View Cemetery for prayers and meditations from Christian and Buddhist faiths, a keynote speech and a presentation of floral wreaths. 10-11 a.m.

From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2023

In the first, Gordon Hirabayashi, a Nisei student from the University of Washington, challenged the evacuation order.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston

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