Diverse Japanese-language users need a willingness to understand one another’s Japanese.
この論文は植民地期の教育が生んだ日本語人の経験を論じている。
This paper discusses the experiences of Japanese-language people shaped by colonial-era education.
この報告書では、国籍や民族を超えた日本語使用者を「日本語人」と呼んでいる。
This report calls users of Japanese across national and ethnic boundaries ‘Japanese-language people’.
母語話者と非母語話者の双方が日本語人という枠組みに含まれる。
Both native and non-native speakers are included in the category of Japanese-language people.
彼女は日本語で読み書きし、生活する日本語人として自分を捉えている。
She sees herself as a Japanese-language person who reads, writes, and lives through Japanese.
Similar words
日本語使用者
日本語話者
Meanings
Person whose language use or identity centres on Japanese
noun
sociolinguistics
technical
A person considered part of a Japanese-language community because they use Japanese as a native, habitual, or significant language, regardless of nationality or ethnicity.
Examples
この報告書では、国籍や民族を超えた日本語使用者を「日本語人」と呼んでいる。
This report calls users of Japanese across national and ethnic boundaries ‘Japanese-language people’.
母語話者と非母語話者の双方が日本語人という枠組みに含まれる。
Both native and non-native speakers are included in the category of Japanese-language people.
彼女は日本語で読み書きし、生活する日本語人として自分を捉えている。
She sees herself as a Japanese-language person who reads, writes, and lives through Japanese.
日本語人という考え方は、言語と国籍を同一視しない。
The idea of a Japanese-language person does not equate language with nationality.
研究者は海外に暮らす日本語人の文学活動を調べた。
The researcher studied the literary activity of Japanese-language people living overseas.
多様な日本語人が互いの日本語を理解しようとする姿勢が求められる。
Diverse Japanese-language users need a willingness to understand one another’s Japanese.
この論文は植民地期の教育が生んだ日本語人の経験を論じている。
This paper discusses the experiences of Japanese-language people shaped by colonial-era education.
Similar words
日本語使用者
日本語話者
Etymology
A modern coinage combining 日本語 ‘Japanese language’ with 人 ‘person’, made to group people by the language they live in rather than by nationality.
FAQ
What does 日本語人 mean?
日本語人 is an inclusive label for people connected through substantial use of Japanese rather than nationality or ethnicity.
Is 日本語人 the same as 日本人?
No. 日本人 refers to a Japanese person or national, while 日本語人 groups people through their relationship with the Japanese language.
Can a non-Japanese person be a 日本語人?
Yes. The label was developed specifically to include Japanese users across national and ethnic boundaries.
Does 日本語人 mean anyone who can speak a little Japanese?
Not normally. Sources use it for native speakers and people who read, write, use, or identify through Japanese in a substantial way.
Is 日本語人 an everyday Japanese word?
No. It is a coined term found mainly in sociolinguistic, educational, cultural, and historical discussion.
What ordinary term means Japanese speaker?
日本語話者 is the usual precise term for a Japanese speaker, and 日本語母語話者 means a native Japanese speaker.
Does 日本語人 include native speakers?
Yes. Some sources explicitly place both native and non-native users of Japanese within the category.
Why was 日本語人 coined?
It provides a way to discuss a Japanese-language community without treating Japanese language, nationality, and ethnicity as the same thing.
How do you read 日本語人?
It is read にほんごじん (nihongojin), from 日本語 ‘Japanese language’ and 人 ‘person’.
Comments & contributions
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