Nisei

American  

[nee-sey, nee-sey] / 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

Etymology

Origin of Nisei

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Nisei

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

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

Manning is Nisei and Choctaw and her husband, Antonio, is African American, and she found Altadena to reflect the community she wanted to be a part of.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2026

“John wanted to write the great American novel. This is the great Japanese American novel, the great Nisei novel,” Abe said, referring to the term for Japanese Americans born in the U.S. to immigrant parents.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2023

Woody was that kind of Nisei, anxious to prove to the world his loyalty, his manhood, something about his family honor.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston