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

Manuel Cunha, head of the Nisei Farmer’s League, was skeptical of the idea that Medicaid recipients seeking employment would be a good fit for farm labor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2025

Some Little Tokyo businesses that served Issei and Nisei — Japanese immigrants and their American-born children — have closed or are struggling, while others have found a way to evolve and thrive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2024

“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

Nisei Veterans Committee, dedicated to preserving and honoring Japanese American legacies, has held a Memorial Day service since 1964.

From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2023

He had lined up a job with Seabrook Farms in New Jersey, a new frozen-food enterprise that offered work to many Nisei at the end of the war.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston