
Incarceration
This term should be used instead of internment, a word that has a legal definition which refers to the confinement of enemy aliens during a time of war.
Incarceree
A person confined in one of the 10 War Relocation Authority facilities, regardless of their citizenship status. Nearly all were people with Japanese ancestry.
Exclusion
The forced removal of Japanese Americans from specific areas along the West Coast designated as 'exclusion zones' by the federal government.
Forced Removal
This term should be used instead of relocation or evacuation, because it more accurately describes the lack of choice given to Japanese Americans who were ordered to leave their homes.
Internment
Refers to the wartime detention of Issei classified as “enemy aliens,” who were held in camps run by the Army or Department of Justice.
Concentration Camp
A place where people are imprisoned not because of any crimes they have committed, but simply because of who they are (adapted from a statement by the Japanese American National Museum and the American Jewish Committee in 1998).
Sutra
A collection of sacred teachings or scriptures attributed to the Buddha and used for study, chanting, or religious ceremonies.
Nikkei
(NEE-kay)日系
Persons of Japanese ancestry, residing outside of Japan.
Issei
(EE-say)一世
Originates from the Japanese-language term for "first generation."
Nisei
(NEE-say)二世
Originates from the Japanese-language term for "second generation."
Sansei
(SAHN-say)三世
Third generation, children of Nisei, born in the U.S. and citizens by birth.
Nidoto Nai Yoni
二度とないように
A Japanese phrase that translates to “let it not happen again.”
Senryū
川柳
A form of Japanese poetry that focuses on human nature and everyday life.