VOX POPULI: ‘Haafu’ a derogatory term for those viewed as ‘half Japanese’

48 comments

1. No. It isn’t.

   Double is super pretentious.

   Hell, even Hawaiians go around using the term hapa.

   The only ones offended are those who can’t accept themselves.

2. Certainly not to the vast majority of people in Japan, including those who identify as Haafu but OK. Sooner or later it’ll become all irrelevant anyway

3. as a half japanese half french person myself, idgaf if some guy calls me half

   cuz like i am

   and it would be better to be treated more like a fellow japanese rather than a complete foreign

4. I’m half myself and couldn’t care less.

5. People have been trying to make this a thing since at-least the late 80s. Some how it never quite sticks

6. There is a weird culture around mixed children here. My wife’s friends seem uncomfortably competitive about whose children appear the most mixed. It’s pretty gross.

7. If you go out looking to be offended, there’s a good chance you will be successful.

8. If people don’t like people called half, don’t call them half.

   It can definitely be derogatory without people realizing.

   In my elementary school, some kids are consistently called ハーフ or (worse) 外国人 and all it does is alienate / other them; even though they were born in Japan, speak Japanese and are the same as everyone else besides their physical features.

9. But they literally ARE half Japanese half something else.
   It’s just a fact, how on earth is that offensive?

10. The only children of mixed race in Japan who are likely to be bothered by the term ‘hafu’ are those with parents who tell them they should feel bothered.

    My children are half-Japanese and half-my own nationality. They grow up influenced by and with a heritage of two distinct cultures and, imo, very much benefit from hybrid vigor. They will decide their own path but I can’t imagine why the would ever want to be seen as ‘pure’ anything. At present, for them, there is no issue whatsoever with the term ‘hafu’ but there are still some clueless throwbacks who see that lack of perceived purity as being a negative, rather than the desperately needed injection of fresh DNA and cultural variety that Japan needs if it hopes to in any way remain an innovative and dynamic nation.

    I don’t even feel angry at such narrow-minded outliers. Thankfully they are so few that they can be simply pitied for what is ultimately a lack of self-confidence and pride in their own abilities.

11. I take more offence to my kids be labelled by their ethnicity in Japan. Would you do that in the UK or the US? Refer to someone as a “half” to their face based on their ethnicity? No – because you would be labelled a racist and rightly so.

12. I am half, grew up in Japan, and have been called ‘haafu’ my entire life. Usually locals who call me that mean nothing by it—in fact it is extremely difficult for them to even identify my Japanese half until I open my mouth and speak the language to them. The only time it annoys me is when it’s the first thing out of someone’s mouth about me, like when I was in food service with mostly American customers. I didn’t get a ‘hello,’ I didn’t get a ‘how are you,’ the first thing out of most young marines’ mouths was ‘are you half?’ Also, when people look at me and decide I’m lying about being half because I don’t look like a typical mixed woman. It does get tiresome.

13. As a white guy who grew up in Japan and know many haafu people, I don’t know any haafu person who considers the term offensive.

14. Not offensive, just a crap term.

15. People in this thread not realizing a word can be used both benignly or maliciously.

    Replace haafu with Jew and suddenly you’ll get it through your heads. Yes there are people who use haafu benignly but there are also plenty of Japanese here who use it like some use Jew as a slur.

16. It’s clearly clumsy, lazy shorthand for “half Japanese,” which is neither something to be ashamed nor proud of, but English speakers want to take it to mean they are being considered only “half” human, or something.

17. It always makes me laugh because I think of half-man half-biscuit (the band)

18. Yet another clueless take…theres nothing derogatory about Haafu….

19. Japan has a weird relationship with ethnicity and nationality. Someone with one Japanese parent and one White British parent that holds Japanese citizenship is 100% Japanese and 100% British, but half Asian and half white.

20. as i japanese-american, i don’t give a shit if people use that word for me lol. what are they supposed to say?

21. Isn’t it just like “where are you from?” (or in this case, what’s your other half?)

    Not just Japanese, but Brits identify each other from their dialect, we have terms like Scouse/Scot/Brummy etc. (Some admittedly more bashful than others).

    Japanese identify each other in the same way, they enquire out of curiosity as well. FIL has a mix of dialects and he always gets asked about it.

    I know the focus here is the term “hafu”, which is tied to race rather than dialect, I guess I’m trying to say perhaps folks are just naturally inquisitive/being friendly as opposed to nefarious. We often view things through our historical relationship with race and racism but Japan doesn’t have the same context as we do. (Not to deny it didn’t/doesn’t exist though).

22. tf are they supposed to call me then?

23. My daughter is Haafu. This is the first I’ve heard of that being a derogatory term.

24. Bruh who the fuck gets offended by that

25. Im half I couldn’t give less of a shit

26. I have seen a lot of peoples Insta bio where they proudly pointed out of being a haafu. So just because the term is for some “derogatory”, it is not for everyone.

27. Half Japanese and American living in Japan since 1985. Never been offended. Quite the opposite, they envy me and say I’m lucky to know 2 languages and cultures.
    They want to know more about my upbringing, want me to teach them English and/or American culture.

28. It’s only derogatory to silly woke white people

29. My kid is a half and we think nothing of it.

    I guess everyone needs *something* to get offended at these days.

30. Only non-halves are offended to be honest

31. derogatory is pushing it. you can use any word as an insult, but that doesn’t make it one by default. i usually introduce myself as being haafu, never had anyone take it as a negative thing.

32. Who seriously takes offense to being called hafu? I take it as a compliment myself, honestly

33. As a Haafu I have never had an experience of someone using it as a derogatory term.

34. I teach about 20 “half” kids and my daughter is half, none of them give a fuck

35. Literally feel nothing to this word

36. Wasn’t there an entire online community of self-loathing haafus who hate just about everything (themselves, their parents, women) because of what they claim the have to go through. I haven’t heard about them in years, but I do remember stumbling upon their very pathetic-looking discussion boards a long time ago.

37. I hate all these ex-pats commenting “my kids don’t care about the term therefore no one should be offended ever, and it’s never used in a negative way”.
    Can we please realise words may have negative connotations to certain people and may be used to discriminate, even if you haven’t PERSONALLY experienced it.

38. VOX and race baiting. Iconic duo.

    In the private school I was raised in being a haafu was a badge of honor and something of a beauty icon. But the people writing this article probably aren’t even Japanese or have a drop of our blood.

39. I don’t know if young people think it is derogatory.

40. I am haafu, and have never experienced it being derogatory, always endearing. The derogatory is calling us Gaijin imo

41. Lol

42. Since when has this become derogatory lol.

43. In half, not Japanese though, my wife is Japanese, our kids are ハーフクオータクオータ but no one seems to understand what that means.

44. Mass media writing paid articles to divide people.. I wonder what NGOs are paying for this crap

45. What about “Nyuu-Haafu”?

46. As a father of two *cross-cultural kids* (Japanese and Australian), I have always loathed the “half” expression because it explicitly implies “not-whole”.

    The term “half” says they of half of something (the something being 100% “pure” Japanese presumably – which is itself ironic since Japanese genetics are well studied and include a wide mix of ancestral influences …of course primarily from Japan’s nearest geographic neighbours).

    With full respect to “half people” who are content/happy to be pigeon holed with this stereotype-loaded term evolved by derogatory mindsets, I think you’re putting a brave face on something that actually really sucks in its original packaging. And there are some bigoted people in Japanese society who still snort and use it with that intention. They’ll disdainfully smile while they ask “Half desu ka?” and their pompous sense of task-accomplishment is pretty evident….as though just that word itself says everything they need to know.

    In Australia, racists and xenophobes used to use words like “wog” (to describe Italian immigrants) and “abo”(to describe aboriginal people). There wasn’t any smarmy pretence about being polite – just open racism without any apologies. But later on, some of the younger people from “minority group” backgrounds started using those same words as a sort of sarcastic self-identification label. In some ways it was cool and showed the finger to the racists. So they turned such words around and took ownership. Similar with how some black Americans are OK with using the word “nigger” in some contexts.

    But in Japan, I don’t see anyone using the word “half” with any kind of swagger, defiance or irony. Instead it looks like sad and passive acceptance of something that should be challenged IMO.

    I have said to my kids: when someone digs into what is surely obvious and asks if they are “half” , they should consider responding…..”Well actually…. *I’m double*….2x languages, 2x passports and 2x the culture etc etc”.

    The asker might think a bit deeper about why they’re even asking….

    20 years from now, probably half of Japan will be “half” (or “quarter”….or whatever). Pointless discussion ultimately.

47. I care less about being called half and care more about being unable to have dual citizenship. I’m freaking half, double, mixed, I don’t care. But especially if you’re gonna call me double, give me both citizenships.

    ​

    although I find it hilarious when my husband corrects himself when he calls me haafu and thats exactly what I call myself haha.

48. did a single commenter even read the article, its about how haafu people or non-ethnic-japanese people are immediately treated like foreigners just based on their looks, thats the derogatory part