1.
the original inhabitants of a region, especially before the arrival of settlers or colonizers
Refers to the people who originally lived in a place before others — typically colonists, immigrants, or invaders — arrived. In modern Japanese, this word is sometimes considered dated or inappropriate when talking about indigenous peoples' rights; 先住民 is now preferred in respectful and academic contexts. 原住民 is still commonly used in everyday speech, historical accounts, and travel writing.
島の原住民に会った。
We met the native inhabitants of the island.
彼らは原住民の言葉を学んでいる。
They are studying the language of the indigenous people.
植民地時代、原住民は土地を奪われた。
During the colonial era, the native inhabitants were robbed of their land.
最近のメディアでは「原住民」よりも「先住民」という言葉が使われることが多い。
In recent media, the word 'senjuumin' is used more often than 'genjuumin'.
Refers to the original inhabitants of a region before outsiders arrived. Neutral in general use, but sensitivity around this word has grown.
USAGE:
- Common in everyday conversation, travel writing, and older texts.
- Academic writing, news media, and official documents increasingly prefer 先住民 (especially 先住民族) when discussing indigenous peoples' rights and identity.
- Some speakers feel 原住民 sounds dated or slightly condescending; the literal image is of people "originally living" there, which critics say can imply primitiveness.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 島の原住民: native inhabitants of an island
- 原住民の文化: culture of the native people
- 原住民の言葉: language of the native people
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 先住民: indigenous people — now the preferred term in rights-based and academic discourse.
- 先住民族: indigenous peoples (as an ethnic group) — the most formal and respectful term.
- 土着の人々: local/native people — emphasizes rootedness in a particular place.