Nihonjin is the Japanese word for ‘Japanese person’ or ‘Japanese people’

What does “nihonjin” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “nihonjin” to mean ‘Japanese person’, ‘Japanese people’, or just ‘the Japanese’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word well as it is often used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “nihonjin” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “nihonjin”
• Nihonjin in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “are you Japanese?” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “nihonjin”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “nihonjin”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “nihonjin”.

• nihonjin – 日本人 (にほんじん) : a noun meaning ‘Japanese person’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to a person or people from Japan. So, its usage is very simple.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji expression in detail.

Nihonjin in kanji

The kanji expression of “nihonjin” consists of the following two parts:

• nihon – 日本 (にほん) : a noun meaning ‘Japan’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘under the sun’. So, in the Japanese language, “Japan” means a country developed under the sun. Grammatically this word is a noun, but can also work like an adjective to add the meaning of ‘Japanese’ to its following word.
• jin – 人 (じん) : a suffix often used after a country name to mean a person or people coming from that country. In this case, therefore, this can work to mean a person or people coming from Japan. This kanji character can also be found in other words like “hito“, “koibito“, and “otona“.

From these two parts, we can understand that “nihonjin” literally means a person or people from Japan. So, what the kanji characters express is completely in line with the meanings.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “nihonjin” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “nihonjin” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “are you Japanese?” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• anata – あなた : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “anata” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “nihonjin” to make it sound polite.
• ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make a question. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to make the question. Normally, this is used with the pitch raised.

This is a typical usage of “nihonjin”. It literally means a ‘Japanese person’ in Japanese, but has been translated into English as ‘Japanese’. When we want to say “Japanese person”, “Japanese people”, or just “the Japanese” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Example #2: another usage of “nihonjin”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• hai – はい : an interjection working to answer a question with meaning ‘yes’ in Japanese.
• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.

This is another typical usage of “nihonjin”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “boku wa nihonjin desu”, which means ‘I’m Japanese’ in Japanese.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “nihonjin” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• nihonjin – 日本人 (にほんじん) : a noun meaning ‘Japanese person’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this noun to refer to a person or people from Japan. So, the usage is very simple. These three kanji characters literally mean a person or people from Japan. So, what the kanji characters express is completely in line with the meanings.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.