Term for third generation Japanese Americans, originating from the Japanese language term for "third generation." In the American context, the term is understood to refer to the grandchildren of Japanese immigrants who arrived prior to the cessation of Japanese immigration to the U.S. under the dictates of the Immigration Act of 1924. The vast majority of Sansei were born after the war, and their generational range parallels that of the baby boomers.

Other generational terms include "Issei" (first generation) for the immigrant generation, "Nisei" (second generation) for the American-born children of the Nisei, and "Yonsei" (fourth generation) for the children of the Sansei.