Sansei (三世 lit. thir generation) is a term used in North and South America to specify the child of a Nisei couple. A Nisei (second generation) is the child of an Issei couple. Issei is a Japanese person who emigrated from Japan in the years preceding World War II. Usually, if a person is Sansei, all of his or her grandparents are Japanese. The term sansei Japanese American refers specifically to sansei living in the United States.