also: カスト
caste
Refers to the hereditary social classes of the Indian subcontinent, or metaphorically to rigid social hierarchies.
from Portuguese casta
インドのカースト制度は複雑だ。
India's caste system is complex.
あの会社には見えないカーストがある。
There is an invisible caste-like hierarchy in that company.
He was born into a family of high caste.
That family has long stood at the top of the caste hierarchy.