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From: henro@cruzio.com (Don Weiss)
Subject: Re: Gaijin as a derogatory term
Organization: Cruzio Community Networking System, Santa Cruz, CA
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 17:05:06 GMT
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> I think you had better take a remedial course in the Japanese
> language. "Gaikokujin" literally means "outside country person".
> "Gaijin" means "outside person", which might be considered mildly
> perjorative. "Barbarian" (what we Occidentals were called during
> the Tokugawa era) is "yabanjin".

Does anyone is this group know anything of the history of the use of this
term? What were foreigners called during earlier periods of Japanese
history> And what about the kanji itself. Presumably these characters were
used in Chinese for foreigner? 

Don Weiss
henro@cruzio.com
