nisei

noun

ni·​sei nē-ˈsā 

ˈnē-ˌsā

plural nisei

often capitalized

: a son or daughter of Japanese immigrants who is born and educated in America and especially in the U.S.

Examples of nisei in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But growing up near downtown L.A. in the ’30s and ’40s exposed her to the customs of her many nisei Japanese friends, too. —Scott Timberg, Los Angeles Magazine, 29 Jan. 2018

By then the Army was enlisting nisei soldiers to fight in Africa and Europe. —Smithsonian, 29 Jan. 2017

Kashiwagi said that many of the seniors were nisei — second-generation Japanese Americans born in the U.S. — who had spent their youth detained in World War II incarceration camps. —NBC News, 6 Oct. 2017

The miniature spelling master has become an Internet celebrity, impressing people with her ability to crack words that would stump most adults, such as Panglossian, Baedeker, nisei, and Croesus. —The Washington Post, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2017

By then the Army was enlisting nisei soldiers to fight in Africa and Europe. —Smithsonian, 2 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

Japanese, literally, second generation, from ni second + sei generation

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

nisei

noun

ni·​sei (ˈ)nē-ˈsā 

ˈnē-ˌsā

plural nisei also niseis

: a son or daughter of Japanese immigrants who is born and educated in America

Etymology

Japanese, literally "second generation"