Sansei

Or san·sei

[sahn-sey, sahn-sey]

noun

1. a grandchild of Japanese immigrants to the U.S. or Canada.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sansei¹

1940–45; < Japanese: third generation, earlier san-seĩ < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese sān three + · shēng birth

Example Sentences

A sansei buddy of mine once invited me over in the mid-1960s.

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I was a youngster in the tour, belonging to the sansei, or third generation, born mostly after the war.

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They grooved to the music in bell-bottomed trousers, wide-lapeled shirts and platform shoes, said Harry Manaka, author of “Chronicles of a Sansei Rocker” and a former owner of the bar.

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As I have heard from so many other sansei, or third-generation Japanese Americans, my parents as well as theirs did not want to talk about “those days” in the camps.

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We, as sansei, were urged to “fit in” to the American way of life and not to draw unwanted attention to ourselves.

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