How to say "barbarian" in Japanese

• バーバリアン
  nounThe direct loanword, typically for the barbarian of Western contexts: ancient invading tribes, or the wild warrior type of fantasy stories and games.
• 夷い
  nounA one-character literary word for the barbarian peoples of premodern East Asia; you will meet it mainly in historical texts, and it is seldom the word to use yourself.
• 夷人いじん
  nounThe character 夷 plus 'person': a historical, contemptuous label for foreigners regarded as uncivilized; it belongs to older writing and is not a neutral way to call someone a barbarian.
• 野蛮人やばんじん
  nounThe plain, transparent word for a barbarian as an uncivilized, savage person; it can also describe someone whose behavior is simply rough or crude.
  移住者いじゅうしゃの部落ぶらくが野蛮やばん人にんによって征服せいふくされ、移住者いじゅうしゃの希望きぼうも生活せいかつも土壇場どたんばにきた時とき、長ながい歳月さいげつをかけての不幸ふこうとのたたかいに終止符しゅうしふがうたれた。↗

  Years of resistance to misfortune ended when the settlers' village was overcome by the savages and their hopes and lives came to the bitter end.
• 未開人みかいじん
  nounCovers the 'primitive' side of 'barbarian': a person or people regarded as not yet civilized; it is the kind of term used in discussion of primitive societies.

Choose 「バーバリアン」 for the Western or fantasy barbarian, 野蛮人 for an uncivilized, savage person, and 未開人 for the primitive, not-yet-civilized sense; 夷 and 夷人 are historical, pejorative terms you mainly need to recognize.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• バーバリアンbarbarian
• 夷いbarbarian
• 夷人いじんbarbarian
• 野蛮人やばんじんbarbarian
• 未開人みかいじんbarbarian
• バルバロイbarbarian
• 蛮人ばんじんsavage
• 夷えびすforeigner