外国人（がいこくじん、gaikokujin）
- foreigner

The word 外国人 (がいこくじん) means "foreigner" or "foreign person." It refers to someone who is not a citizen or resident of the country where they are currently located. It denotes someone from a foreign country. This word emphasizes the foreign origin of the person.

⚫︎日本には多くの外国人が住んでいます。 Translation: Many foreigners live in Japan. ⚫︎あのレストランは外国人に人気があります。 Translation: That restaurant is popular with foreigners.

You can use 外国人 to refer to any person who is not a citizen of the country you're in. This word is commonly used in everyday conversation, in formal situations, and in writing. You can use it to talk about tourists, residents, or anyone from another country. Be mindful of context; while not inherently negative, it can sometimes be perceived as impersonal, so use it with care depending on the situation.

外国人 is written in kanji, hiragana, and katakana. ⚫︎ Kanji: 外国人 ⚫︎ Hiragana (reading): がいこくじん The okurigana (送りがな) – the hiragana attached to the kanji – is standard. There are no other common ways to write this word. The kanji 外 means "outside" or "foreign," 国 means "country," and 人 means "person."

There aren't many direct synonyms for 外国人, but the following words can be used in related contexts: ⚫︎ 外国人 is a more general term. ⚫︎ 留学生（りゅうがくせい）- "international student" ⚫︎ 旅行者（りょこうしゃ）- "traveler"

The direct antonym is: ⚫︎ 日本人（にほんじん）- "Japanese person" ⚫︎ 国民（こくみん）- "citizen"

彼は仕事で日本に住んでいる外国人です。 ・Translation: He is a foreigner who lives in Japan for work. ・Explanation: This sentence describes someone's foreign status and their reason for being in Japan.

この店は外国人の観光客に人気です。 ・Translation: This shop is popular with foreign tourists. ・Explanation: This sentence describes a business and its target customer base.

The word 外国人 is a combination of three kanji: 外（がい）meaning "outside" or "foreign," 国（こく） meaning "country," and 人（じん） meaning "person." Therefore, the etymology directly translates to "foreign country person."