Japanese symbol for “foreigner”
外人
がいじん
Romaji: gaijin
foreigner (esp. a Westerner); gaijin
In Japanese, foreigner is 外人, read がいじん (gaijin).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n foreigner (esp. a Westerner); gaijin
- n outsider
Written forms: 外人. Readings: がいじん、ガイジン.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “foreigner”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 外国人 | がいこくじん gaikokujin | foreigner; foreign citizen; foreign national |
| 異人 | いじん ijin | foreigner (esp. one of European ancestry) |
| 夷 | えびす ebisu | foreigner; barbarian |
| 異邦人 | いほうじん ihoujin | foreigner |
| 虜 | りょ ryo | foreigner; barbarian; slave |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 海外 | かいがい kaigai | foreign; abroad; overseas |
| 外国 | がいこく gaikoku | foreign country |
| 以外 | いがい igai | excluding; except (for); apart from |
| 外交 | がいこう gaikou | diplomacy |
| 意外 | いがい igai | unexpected; surprising; unanticipated |
| 外部 | がいぶ gaibu | outside (e.g. of a building); exterior |
| 人間 | にんげん ningen | human being; human; person |
| 個人 | こじん kojin | individual; private person; personal |
See also: Chinese symbol for “foreigner”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.