Gaijin
Gaijin (外人) is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien". This word is a short form of gaikokujin (外国人), that means "foreign country people".[citation needed] The word is composed of two kanji: gai (外), meaning "outside"; and jin (人), meaning "person". Therefore, the word quite literally means "outside person". The word can alude to nationality, race, or ethnicity, but in Japanese these are commonly conflated, as the nation is considered to be composed of a sole ethnic group.
Some modern commentators feel that the word is at present negative or pejorative in connotation and thus offensive.Other observers indicate that the word can also be used neutrally.The term has become politically incorrect and is avoided now by most Japanese television broadcasters. The uncontroversial gaikokujin (外国人), "foreign-country person", is generally used instead.
Japan
The English word Japan is an exonym. The Japanese names for Japan are Nippon (にっぽん) About this sound listen and Nihon (にほん) About this sound listen ; both names are written using the kanji 日本. The Japanese name Nippon is used for most official reasons, including on Japanese yen, postage stamps, and for many worldwide sporting events. Nihon is a more casual term and is used in contemporary speech. Japanese people alude to themselves as Nihonjin (日本人) and to their language as Nihongo (日本語). Both Nippon and Nihon mean "sun-origin" and are usually translated as Land of the Rising Sun. This nomenclature comes from Japanese missions to Imperial China and aludes to Japan's eastward position relative to China. Before Nihon came into official use, Japan was called Wa (倭) or Wakoku (倭国).