Translation and Meaning of: 移民 - imin

The Japanese word 移民 (いみん) is one of those that carries a historical and social weight, especially in a country like Japan, which has a complex relationship with migration. If you are here, you probably want to understand not only the literal meaning—emigration, immigration, emigrant, or immigrant—but also how this word is used in everyday life, its origin, and even tips for memorizing it. In this article, you will discover everything from the etymology of the kanji to curiosities about how the topic of immigration is discussed in Japan today. And if you are studying Japanese, get ready to jot down practical examples that fit perfectly in your Anki or spaced repetition method.

Etymology and structure of kanjis

The kanji 移 (い), which begins the word 移民, relates to movement or transfer. It is composed of the radical for "rice" (禾) combined with the element "move" (多), suggesting the idea of displacement—something that makes perfect sense when we talk about migration. The second kanji, 民 (みん), represents "people" or "population." Combine the two, and you have literally "people who move," an almost poetic description for those who leave their country in search of new horizons.

It is worth noting that this combination is not exclusive to Japanese. The term has roots in classical Chinese, where it was also used to describe population flows. In Japan, however, 移民 gained specific contours, especially after the 19th century, when the country began to send workers to Hawaii and Brazil—a painful chapter for many descendants of Japanese who today revisit this history in museums such as the Japanese Immigration Museum in Brazil.

Use in daily life and social context

In contemporary Japan, 移民 is a term laden with debates. While the government avoids large-scale official immigration policies, sectors such as agriculture and technology increasingly rely on foreign workers—which makes the term frequent in news about "技能実習生" (technical trainees) or "特定技能" (work visas). However, in day-to-day conversations, many Japanese still associate 移民 with permanent, not temporary, changes. It is common to hear phrases like "移民の受け入れに賛成ですか？" ("Do you the acceptance of immigrants?"), especially in discussions about aging population.

Interestingly, there is a certain taboo in calling foreign residents in Japan 移民, even if they have lived there for decades. Many prefer like "外国人住民" (foreign residents), which sound less definitive. This detail reveals a lot about how Japanese society perceives—or avoids perceiving—cultural diversity.

Tips for memorization and curiosities

To fix immigration, how about thinking of the kanji 移 as a train of people carrying bags of rice (禾) to another place? On the other hand, 民 can be associated with "min," like in "minions"—after all, migrants are often treated as an anonymous mass, unfortunately. If you like puns, a silly but effective phrase is: "いみん？いや、みんなで移住だ！" ("Immigration? No, it's everyone moving together!").

No Google, searches for immigration often come with like "policies," "issues," or "history." This reflects the controversial nature of the topic. An interesting fact: in 2023, Japan reached a record of 3 million foreign residents—but officially, many of them are not classified as immigrants. This contradiction shows how the Japanese language, like its society, is still navigating the complexities of globalization.