gaijin

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 外人 (gaijin, ‘foreigner’), which came from Middle Chinese 外人 (ngwajᴴ nyin). Compare Mandarin 外人 (wàirén), from Old Chinese 外人 (*ŋʷaːds njin, ‘foreigner, outsider’, from ‘non-relative’), made up of 外 (wài, ‘outside, outer’) and 人 (rén, ‘person’).