Nisei and Sansei

In his review of the play “The Summer Moon” (“ ‘Summer Moon’ Eclipses the Realities of Life,” Nov. 8), Michael Phillips describes the character Rosie Yoshida (played by Tamlyn Tomita) as a nisei, which means second-generation Japanese American. But the review then goes on to say that the character’s father was born in the United States.

The Japanese American community counts the immigrant generation as a family’s first generation, or issei. So, the nisei are the children of Japanese immigrants. Assuming that it was Rosie’s grandfather who was the immigrant, her character would then be third-generation, or sansei.

In any event, a nisei’s parents cannot be born in the United States.

ROBERT PAYNE

Studio City