Gaijin

By Deane Barker • •
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This is a Japanese term for “foreigner.” There’s debate as to whether it’s an insult or not (I imagine it could go both ways, depending on context or usage).

Why I Looked It Up

It came up in Neuromancer a lot, especially the early chapters set in Chiba City.

Update

Added on

I’m reading Shogun by James Clavell, and it turns out the last book in his Asian Saga was named Gai-Jin (with the hyphen).