A Japanese term for those of Japanese ancestry born in the United States (or Canada). The Nisei became the focus of various intelligence services in Hawaii working to understand if the Japanese population there presented a threat to national security. The conclusion is that the vast majority of Nisei are loyal to the United States. Many enlist and serve in the war effort in Europe.

A Japanese term for those of Japanese ancestry born in Japan who immigrating to the United States, Canada, or South America. In Hawaii, the government subsidized the immigration of many Japanese for labor in the sugar plantations. The economy in Japan was unfavorable and many laborers chose to immigrate for work. They were ineligible for American citizenship, though their children the Nisei, born in Hawaii, were US citizens at birth.

A Japanese term for those of Japanese ancestry born in the United States or Canada to at least one Nisei parent. The term translates directly as third generation.