- a native-born citizen of the United States or Canada whose parents were Japanese immigrants
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
Ni•sei /ˈniseɪ, niˈseɪ/USA pronunciation
n. [countable* sometimes: nisei], pl. -sei.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Language Varietiesa child of Japanese immigrants, born and educated in North America.
Ni•sei
(nē′sā, nē sā′),USA pronunciation n., pl. -sei.
- a person of Japanese descent, born and educated in the U.S. or Canada.
- Middle Chinese, equivalent. to Chinese èr two, second + shēng birth
- Japanese: literally, second generation; earlier ni-seĩ
- 1940–45, American.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Nisei /ˈniːseɪ/ n
'Nisei' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):