also: りゅうみん
refugees; displaced people
Refers to people who have been forced to flee their homes, often due to war, disaster, or persecution. Slightly formal or news-oriented term.
Many refugees crossed the border because of the war.
In that area, the number of displaced people surged after the flood.
Standard kanji form; the reading りゅうみん is the most common.
Alternate reading; less common than りゅうみん.
Composed of 流 (flow, drift) and 民 (people), literally 'drifting people'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of displaced persons.