Foreigner - Ijin

Japanese: 異人 - いじん

〘noun〙① An unusual person. (i) A person with outstanding talent or character. A great man. ※Gaun Nittsugenroku - Wenzheng 2nd year (1467), February 21st "Eishin's disciple Kan'in presents him. He is a stranger" [Han Shu - Biography of Gongsun Hong] (b) A person who looks like he is not of this world. A strange person. ※Hand-drawn comic book - Memorial service for a needle (1774) , vol . 1 "The stranger called out, 'I am King Enma , the lord of hell.'" (c) A person with a somewhat unusual nature. A weirdo. ※Inryoken Nikki - May 7, 1488 (2nd year of Chokyo) "This evening, Kano Oinosuke came and said, "I have been in _Otsu for the past 50-60 days, and _{am also} _in _Kyoto . I have been engrossed _{in talking} with him about all this. He is in fact a foreigner." (ii) A person who practices mysterious arts. A sage. ※Jisenshougo (1775), vol. 5 "I met a foreigner on Mount Tiantai and imparted his art to him." [Guo Pu - Jiang Fu] ② Someone else. A different person. ※Shiji Sho (Excerpts from the Records of the Grand Historian) vol. 11 "If he also praises another person, saying that his actions are excellent and that I also do the _same , then the preacher should be concerned with embellishing the strange story and saying that he is a foreigner." [Zuo Zhuan of the Spring and Autumn Annals - 2nd year of the Duke of Xiang] ③ A person from another country. A foreigner. A foreigner. ※Financial and Economic Historical Materials - 7. Economy, Foreign Trade, Foreign Ships and Foreigners, April 1854 (1st year of the Ansei Era) “When the American ship arrived and docked at the lagoon, the foreigners came ashore on the bridge boats and appeared to have landed.” ※Angura Nabe (1871-72)〈Kanagaki Robun〉3 “The seller, a foreigner, thought that if Japan had come this far, he would be finished, so he loaded it up.” ④ Something that lives outside of a certain society. Something that lives in another world. A stranger. In the narrow sense, it can also refer to monsters and demons. [Glossary] (1) Originally it meant “great people” or “strange people,” but it gradually came to mean “foreigners.”
(2) After the country opened up, the term "foreigner" was also used, but during the Meiji period, the term "irin" was most commonly used among the common people.

Koto-hito [foreigner]

〘noun〙① A person who is different (from the person involved or the person being discussed). Someone else. ※The Bamboo Cutter (late 9th century - early 10th century) "When I thought that he was more ignorant than other people, I thought of him."② A person who is not related by blood or other means. A stranger. ※Genji (around 1001-14) Hausagi "When he said it without any consideration as other people said it, I was with the Middle Captain."

Kena [ foreigner] person

① = ke (different) person ① [Bunmeihon Setsuyoshu (Muromachi period)] ※Joruri, Sagami Nyudo Senbiki Inu (1714), Volume 3 "The ladies-in-waiting thought him to be a kind, gentle man." ② = ke (different) person ② [Nippo Jisho (Nippo-Japanese Dictionary) (1603-04)]

Source: The Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary About the Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary Information

Japanese:

〘名〙① 普通でない人。(イ) すぐれた才能、人格をもった人。偉人。※臥雲日件録‐文正二年（1467）二月二一日「恵心弟子寛印供奉。異人也」〔漢書‐公孫弘伝〕(ロ) この世の者とは思えない姿の人。奇怪な人。※滑稽本・針の供養（1774）一「かの異人(イジン)呼留給ひ〈略〉『我はこれ地獄の主(あるじ)閻魔大王なり』」(ハ) いっぷう変わった性質の人。変人。※蔭凉軒日録‐長享二年（1488）五月七日「晩来狩野大炊助来云、此五六十日在_二大津_一。与_二京兆_一同所。件々彼三昧話_レ之。実異人也」(ニ) 不思議な術を行なう人。仙人。※十善法語（1775）五「天台山にあって異人にあひてその術をつたふる」〔郭璞‐江賦〕② ほかの人。別人。※史記抄（1477）一一「又別人をほめて、此人の行はよい、我も此様に同_レ行すると云わば、説者かまいて其異事異人を文飾してようさうと云へぞ」〔春秋左伝‐襄公二年〕③ よその国の人。外人。外国人。※財政経済史料‐七・経済・外国通商・外船外人取扱・安政元年（1854）四月「亜墨利加船渡来、潟繋之節、異人共橋船にて若上陸之体にも見請候得者」※安愚楽鍋（1871‐72）〈仮名垣魯文〉三「売主の異人(ヰジン)も日本がこれほどまで下りゃアしめへと思って積込んで来たところが」④ ある社会の外側に住むもの。異界に住むもの。よそもの。狭義に、妖怪や鬼を指していうこともある。[語誌](1)もと「偉人」あるいは「奇怪な人」の意味であったが、次第に「外国の人」の意味で使われるようになった。
(2)開国の頃からは「外国人」も用いられたが、明治期の庶民層では「異人」が最もよく使われた。