韓国人

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 友達は韓国人です。▶ —
   My friend is Korean.
2. 韓国人の同僚と働く。▶ —
   I work with a Korean colleague.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Kankokujin (韓国人) means "Korean person" — 韓国 plus the -jin (人) suffix that marks nationality. The Japanese matrix runs: nihonjin (Japanese), kankokujin (Korean), chuugokujin (Chinese), amerikajin (American), doitsujin (German), and so on. The kankokujin cluster includes zainichi kankokujin (在日韓国人, ethnic Koreans in Japan, around 430,000 in 2023, descending from 1910-1945 colonial-era settlers or postwar arrivals), zainichi korian (在日コリアン, the loanword umbrella for both Korean and Chosen identities), kankoku-kei nihonjin (Japanese citizens of Korean descent who naturalized), haafu (half, mixed Korean-Japanese), and nyuukamaa (newcomer, post-1980s Korean migrants). Japans zainichi code traces to the 1947 alien-registration ordinance categorizing zainichi chousenjin, then split by the 1965 Japan-Korea Basic Treaty into kankoku (South Korean) and chousen (North Korean or stateless). Sensitive vocabulary: heitosupiichi (hate speech) became regulated by the 2016 law. Hanguru (ハングル, Hangul script) is the Japanese label for Korean writing; Japans Hangul Proficiency Test, launched in 1993, draws over 50,000 examinees annually. JLPT N5 kankokujin pairs with the Japan-specific cultural cluster.

Quick check

1. Origin period of zainichi kankokujin (在日韓国人)?

   • 1910-1945 colonial-era forced mobilization plus postwar residents (around 430,000 today)
   • Post-1965 Basic Treaty migration
   • Meiji-era voluntary migration
   • Post-1990s IMF migration