sansei

noun

san·​sei ˌsän-ˈsā How to pronounce sansei (audio)
ˈsän-ˌ
plural sansei
often capitalized
: a son or daughter of nisei parents who is born and educated in America and especially in the U.S.

Examples of sansei in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Its permanent collection, reinstalled after a recent move, will be complemented by this traveling exhibition of eight sansei, or third generation Japanese American, artists. Briana Miller | For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2022 Many of the performers in the ensemble, on the other hand, were sansei, and had not learned about Japanese-American incarceration or Japanese culture because their parents wanted them to grow up as American as possible, Kashiwagi said. NBC News, 6 Oct. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sansei.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Japanese san third + sei generation

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sansei was in 1940

Dictionary Entries Near sansei

Cite this Entry

“Sansei.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sansei. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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