先住
senjū
The Japanese word for indigenous is 先住 (senjū).
The term refers to being born in, engendered in or native to a specific land or region.
Meaning: born or engendered in, native to a land or region (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to use 先住 as an adjective to modify a noun, you typically add the particle の to the end, forming 先住の.
How do you pronounce it?
senjū
Did you know?
- Unlike English, which uses 'indigenous' for plants and animals, Japanese typically uses 自生 (jisei) for plants that are native to a region.
- Using 先住 can sometimes carry a heavy political weight in Japan, particularly when discussing the rights of the Ainu people.
- The word 先住 (senjū) is composed of the characters for 'before' and 'live', literally meaning 'those who lived before'.
Examples in context
- 彼は先住民であり、素晴らしい文化を持っています。He is indigenous and has a wonderful culture.
- 先住民の権利を尊重する必要があります。We need to respect the rights of indigenous people.
- 彼はこの地域の原住民だ。He is an indigenous resident of this area.
- 原住民の言語や文化はとても興味深い。The language and culture of the indigenous people are very intriguing.
- 先住の民族について学びたいです。senju no minzoku ni tsuite manabitai desu.I want to learn about indigenous peoples.
Example conversation
Hiyori and Hiroto are talking about a museum exhibit.
- 陽葵 Himariいちも先住民族の展示を見た？Itsumo senjñminzoku no tenji o mita?Did you see the exhibit on indigenous peoples?
- 大翔 Hirotoいい、とても興味深かったよ。Un, totemo kyñmibukatta yo.Yes, it was very interesting.
- 陽葵 Himariせいかにて、詺訁について孰いたに。Sore ni tsuite, gengo ni tsuite manabita yo.I also learned about their languages.
- 大翔 Hirotoせいちいあいなあ、すずgいいね。Sore wa ii na, sugoi ne.That's great, amazing.
