Kibei

or kibei

[ kee-bey ]

noun

, plural Ki·bei.

1. a person of Japanese descent, born in the U.S. but educated in Japan.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Kibei¹

From Japanese

Example Sentences

Both of his parents are part of the kibei generation — those born in the U.S., sent to Japan for school, and who later returned to work in the U.S.

From Seattle Times

He, my father, and my mother were Kibei, which meant they were born in the United States but were sent to Japan for their education.

From Literature

Ina's parents were kibei, U.S. citizens born to immigrants but partly raised in Japan.

From Los Angeles Times

Many kibei were sent to Department of Justice camps, and my father was taken away.

From MSNBC

The singers of racial discord might . . . get a better pitch from Hawaii where a gigantic Japanese population of Nisei, Issei, and Kibei have for years lived and worked amicably cheek by jowl with members of many other races.

From Time Magazine Archive