The word “hakujin” appears in the level 2 vocabulary, and it translates into “white person.” While “white” can be used to “describe” someone, calling someone “white” is a rude, offensive, out-dated slur.
It would be no different from using the word “negro” to describe people with dark skin. And for that matter, using “redskins” to describe American Indians.
Unless “hakujin” is removed from the site’s vocabulary, I refuse to use WaniKani any further due to literally teaching (or even promoting) racism. Dividing people by “color” is an excellent method of discouraging language-learning.
And I say all of this as a “brown” American.
You are here to learn the language are you not? I’ve certainly come across the word 白人 in my Japanese study quite a few times. Would be a shame if you couldn’t understand what people are saying to you because of ideological reasons.
You’ll learn https://www.wanikani.com/vocabulary/黒人 in a few levels as well.
If you don’t want to learn it as white person I recommend using Caucasian in your own reviews and associations since it is a valid translation and totally supported by WaniKani
EDIT: took a short skim and here is an article for example from the mainichi shinbun (regular news outlet) using the word in an article from today: ニュース知りたいんジャー：アメリカ建国250年 独立から超大国へ | 毎日新聞
I guess that is a valid argument.
As much as I (and everyone) hates the word “negro,” (as well as its uglier derivative), people still need to understand what the word is so that they know what it means (and maybe even why it’s wrong).
As for “Caucasian,” I also don’t accept that as a synonym due to the fact it can only describe people who literally come from the Caucasus, and not a skin tone.
Although, I will admit now that learning a language also means learning words I might not agree with.
I’m totally with you btw.
Japanese has some ugly words that are still in use today and I sometimes really have to work hard on myself to not take certain stuff too much to heart. It’s a totally different culture with completely different viewpoints, and they see some stuff differently.
I think it is also important to remember that some words have different connotations in different languages. Using “white person” in many English sentences would feel iffy or at least confrontational. Whereas 白人 is really a pretty “normal” Japanese word and Japanese people generally love to categorize stuff (in this case people) into general groups. It’s probably one of the effects of their relatively strong group oriented society. (E.g. All not Asian foreigners are from america is pretty common)
At some point it actually becomes a question of “Am I okay with this and still want to keep learning the language”. Basically: are the benefits of learning about Japanese society/the language greater than the downsides of some friction in culture. I, for one, decided on yes while trying to subtly criticize the stuff I don’t agree with while trying to keep the differing culture in mind.
Part of my leeriness towards “hakujin” is due to the environment I grew up in. I was constantly reminded that I “look different,” and because of that, I cannot identify as American. People have literally gotten angry at me for identifying as American.
Constantly reminding people that they “look different” is racist, even if different people do, in fact, look different. And using a color to describe someone is, in my opinion, dehumanizing. A color is not a person, and a person is not a color.
Still, going by what you (logically) said, I will continue using Wanikani to continue learning Japanese, and despite my discomfort around certain vocabulary.
Ultimately, it’s like learning history. There are going to be parts that cause tension
WHAT. THE. MEOW?!! 
I’m very sorry you’ve had to deal with this nonsense.
I assure you that on this forum such things are not tolerated!
It’s very nyaaaaaaaaaaaice and safe here and the meowderators are very purrofessional!
I really hope you’d like it here! 
“Hakujin” is not a slur, nor is it even anywhere close to being one, and it is not even slightly comparable to an actual slur like the n word in English. It is literally just the normal word for a white person, and it means pretty much exactly the same thing in English.
Just because you personally think that “white” is a slur, doesn’t make it one. “White” is not rude, offensive, or a slur to essentially any white person. Describing skin color is a normal thing in all languages and is not inherently racist, it is just a way of describing someone. Tons of languages do this.
Korean: 백인 (literally means white)
Spanish: persona blanca (literally means white person)
Portuguese: pessoa branca (literally means white person)
Chinese: 白人 (literally means white person)
Hindi: गोरा व्यक्ति (literally means fair-skinned person)
The n word in English is also a classification based on skin color, but unlike “white,” it is inseparable from its highly racist usage during slavery, making it a slur. But in Spanish, “negro” is just the normal word for black and doesn’t carry any derogatory connotations at all. Describing color alone is not racist nor does it “divide people by color.” If you were robbed by a white guy, and the police ask “what did he look like?” and you said “well he’s American, but I don’t want to divide people by color,” they’re gunna have a hard time finding him. A person is not a color, but skin color is a basic attribute of every human being, no different to your eye color or hair color. Describing color is not racist, being racist is racist.
If you’re not convinced by that, my alternative argument is that language learning should teach you all the words, even the truly offensive ones, so that you can recognize them and know which ones to avoid saying. Otherwise you wouldn’t even know. I would hope that if you’re learning a language, you would also learn what words NOT to say or want to personally avoid saying. It’s not teaching racism, Wanikani didn’t invent racism. At worst, it’s just letting you know it exists.
My two cents as a white person. I have never felt someone was rude by calling me white or a white person. I know my experience isn’t universal, but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a white person be offended by it.
Even OP’s objection sounds more like a complaint that by categorising people it lets some people get beneficial treatment, rather than any use of it as a slur against white people.
That use doesn’t make it a slur, any more than nationality words. Discrimination has caused words used against disadvantaged groups to become a slur throughout history. But there’s plenty of other reasons to talk about white people as a group like “White people are at higher risk of sunburn”.
The discouraged terms it’s compared to are discouraged because the group they refer to didn’t want to be referred to with those terms because of their historical connotations or a record of being used pejoratively. It’s news to me that any of this has ever happened with the word white.
Oh Golly, I know I shouldn’t. My puppy can’t stop me from posting when I know I shouldn’t wade into this… But, I think some of the posters who don’t have a problem with being identified or called 白人 are missing the point here… Good on the original poster for their thoughtful post and replies.
Too late
No one is missing the point. Numerous people have addressed it, including me, you just disagree. OP’s main point is not just that 白人 is an offensive term, but that across the board “using a color to describe someone is dehumanizing.” This is despite the fact that skin color is a basic physical attribute of every person, and that describing skin color exists in all languages and all cultures for an endless number of non-discriminatory purposes. Although skin color has been the basis for discrimination for millennia, it does not mean all identifications based on skin color are “dehumanizing.” Sex has been the basis of tons of discrimination as well, but “woman” is not a slur, nor is describing someone as a woman “dehumanizing” either.
Can we ban people from posting until they make it to level 5 or have a paid subscription. A lot of bad faith posts come about from unqualified and untested users. People are trolling the forums and we are taking them, rightly, in good faith. But I can spot a troll a mile away. And this whole thread is a troll post.
Its not an offensive term.
As much as I would love that it was a troll, which would actually be pretty funny, it isn’t. I thought about that possibility but unfortunately, there really are people that think this way. I live in California and I’ve personally met people who think exactly like this. There are people who think saying “black person” is offensive and that you should only say “person of color.” There’s even a lifetime level 11 user who says OP’s post is “thoughtful.” What might be an obvious troll to you is what someone else is learning in community college.
I’m gonna go ahead and close this thread as I don’t see much productive coming from this. Check out goal 1 and 2 (and all) of the Community Goals.