黒人だ
kokujin da
The English phrase "you're black" is expressed in Japanese as 黒人だ (kokujin da).
This phrase is used to identify someone as a person of African descent.
How do you pronounce it?
kokujin da
Did you know?
- The word 黒 in 黒人 is the same character used to describe the 'black' in 'black belt' in martial arts like judo and karate.
- While the word 黒 (black) is used to describe skin color, it is rarely used as a descriptor for people in a positive or neutral sense in Japanese social contexts. Using it can feel much more blunt or direct than the English equivalent.
- Japanese terminology for race and ethnicity is often rooted in how people are categorized by physical characteristics rather than self-identification. This can lead to a disconnect between how a person identifies and how the phrase 黒人 is applied to them.
Examples in context
- すみません、黒人の方ですか？Excuse me, are you black?
- 彼は黒人だ。Kare wa kokujin da.He is black.
- その子は黒人だ。Sono ko wa kokujin da.That child is black.
Example conversation
Yota and Misaki are talking about a new classmate.
- 陽太 Yota新しい生徒は黒人だね。Atarashii seito wa kokujin da ne.The new student is black, isn't he?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、かっこいいよね。Un, kakkoii yo ne.Yeah, he's cool.
- 陽太 Yota彼は黒人だと言っていたよ。Kare wa kokujin da to itte ita yo.He said that he's black.
- 美咲 Misakiそうなんだ。So nan da.I see.
