Sansei

Sansei is a term used in the Japanese diaspora to designate the third generation of Japanese ancestry. In North American contexts, it typically refers to people born in the United States or Canada to Nisei parents (the children of Issei). The word combines san meaning “three” and sei meaning “generation” or “people.” The term is also used in other countries with Japanese immigrant communities to denote the third generation.

Most Sansei were born after World War II and grew up during a period of rapid social change, economic growth, and evolving attitudes toward race and ethnicity. The Issei and Nisei generations faced discrimination and, for many families, internment during the war; Sansei inherited those histories and the pressures to assimilate while maintaining cultural ties. The generation often navigated bilingual or English-dominant environments and formed communities around Japanese American cultural institutions, language schools, and festivals such as Obon.

Culturally and politically, Sansei contributed to arts, academia, business, and activism. They played a key role in the Japanese American redress movement, which culminated in the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, providing reparations and formal apologies to surviving internees. Through these years and beyond, Sansei helped reinterpret Japanese heritage for a broader audience, balancing preservation with integration into American society.

Related generations include Issei, Nisei, and Yonsei (the fourth generation). The term is used across Japanese diaspora communities to denote the third generation.