no-no boy

noun

A Japanese man who refused to renounce the Japanese emperor and to serve in the United States armed forces.

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Meanings

nounno-no boy (plural no-no boys)

plural no-no boys

  1. UShistoricalslangWorld War IIA Japanese man who refused to renounce the Japanese emperor and to serve in the United States armed forces.

Origin

This renunciation required answering "no" to the last two questions in a questionnaire.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

no-no boy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no-no%20boy

MLA

“no-no boy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no-no%20boy. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “no-no boy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no-no%20boy.

Source: no-no boy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.