ハーフ
hāfu[ha̠ːɸɯ̟]
The English phrase "half japanese" is translated into Japanese as ハーフ (hāfu).
The term refers to a person who has one parent of Japanese descent and one parent of a different nationality.
How do you pronounce it?
hāfu
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often try to say "half japanese" by translating the word "Japanese" into Japanese. However, in common Japanese usage, the loanword ハーフ is used on its own to mean a person of mixed descent.
Did you know?
- In Japanese media, people of mixed descent are sometimes called クォーター (quarter) if they have one grandparent of a different nationality.
- Historically, the term 混血 (konketsu) was used for mixed descent, but it is now considered clinical or offensive compared to the softer sound of ハーフ.
- The term ハーフ is a 'wasei-eigo' word, meaning it is English-based Japanese that often differs in usage from how 'half' is used by native English speakers.
Examples in context
- Boku wa hafu da yo. Nihon ni wa sukoshi dake ita koto ga aru. (僕はハーフだよ。日本には少しだけいたことがある。)I am half Japanese. I have lived in Japan for a little while.
- 彼はハーフです。Kare wa haafu desu.He is half-Japanese.
- ハーフのモデルになりたいです。Haafu no moderu ni naritai desu.I want to be a mixed-race model.
- 彼女はハーフだから、英語が上手ですね。Kanojo wa haafu dakara, eigo ga jouzu desu ne.She is half-Japanese, so her English is very good.
Example conversation
Daito and Yui are talking about a new classmate.
- 大翔 Hiroto新しい転校生はハーフなの？Atarashii tenkōsei wa hāfu na no?Is the new transfer student half Japanese?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、お父さんはアメリカ人だよ。Un, otōsan wa amerikajin dayo.Yes, his father is American.
- 大翔 Hirotoかっこいいよね。Kakkoii yone.He's cool, isn't he?
- 結衣 Yui本当にそう思うよ。Hontō ni sō omou yo.I really think so too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ハーフ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
