Sansei

or san·sei

[sahn-sey, sahn-sey]

noun

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

Compare Issei, Kibei, Nisei.

Origin of Sansei

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Word Origin and History for sansei

n.

"American born of nisei parents; third-generation Japanese-American," 1945, from Japanese san "three, third" + sei "generation."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper