The following is alist of ethnic slurs,ethnophaulisms, orethnic epithets that are, or have been, used asinsinuations orallegations about members of a givenethnic,national, orracial group or to refer to them in a derogatory,pejorative, or otherwiseinsulting manner.
Some of the terms listed below can be used in casual speech without any intention of causing offense. Others are so offensive that people might respond with physical violence. Theconnotation of a term and prevalence of its use as a pejorative or neutral descriptor varies over time and by geography.
For the purposes of this list, anethnic slur is a term designed to insult others on the basis ofrace,ethnicity, ornationality. Each term is listed followed by its country or region of usage, a definition, and a reference to that term.
Ethnic slurs may also be produced as a racialepithet by combining a general-purpose insult with the name of ethnicity. Common insulting modifiers include "dog", "pig", "dirty" and "filthy"; such terms are not included in this list.
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbie, Abe, Abie | United States,Canada | Jewish men | Originated before the 1950s. From the proper nameAbraham. | [1] |
| ABC | East Asia | American-born Chinese,Han or otherChinese (includingTaiwanese) born and raised in theUnited States. | The term implies an otherness or lack of connection to their Chinese identity and (usually) Chinese language; however, it has beenreappropriated by manyChinese Americans and used to convey positive connotations. | [2] |
| ABCD | South Asians in theUS | American-Born Confused Desi,Indian Americans or otherSouth Asian Americans, (desi) who were born in theUnited States. | Used chiefly by South Asian immigrants to imply confusion about cultural identity | [3][4] |
| Abid / Abeed (plural) | Middle East andNorth Africa | Black people | Arabic word for slave | [5] |
| Abo / Abbo | Australia | Australian Aboriginal person | Originally, this was simply an informal term forAborigine, and was in fact used by Aboriginal people themselves (such as in the Aboriginal-run newspaperAbo Call) until it started to be considered offensive in the 1950s. AlthoughAbo is still considered quite offensive by many, the pejorativeboong is now more commonly used when the intent is deliberately to offend, as that word's status as an insult is unequivocal. | [6] |
| Afro engineering, African engineering or nigger rigging | United States | African Americans | Shoddy, second-rate or unconventional, makeshift workmanship. Indirectly refers to black American people as worse or lower-valued than white American people when associating anything bad with them. | [7][8] |
| Ah Chah | Hong Kong | South Asian people | From阿差;Cantonese Yale:achā; from "acchā" meaning "good" or "OK" inHindi. | [9] |
| Ali Baba | United States | Iraqi people | AnIraqi suspected of criminal activity. | [10] |
| Alligator bait, 'gator bait | United States (chiefly southern U.S.) | Black people, especially black children | Dates from early 20th century or before; implies that African Americans are good for nothing except being used to bait alligators | [11][12] |
| AmaLawu, AmaQheya | South Africa | Khoisans andCape Coloureds orColoureds | Xhosa words forHottentot | [13] |
| Ang mo | Malaysia,Singapore | European people, especially the Dutch | Hokkien for "red hair" referring to Dutch people from the 17th century and expanded to encompass other Europeans by the 19th century. It has become a neutral term, though is sometimes seen as derogatory. | [14] |
| Ann | United States, Canada | White women, "white-acting" black women | WhileMiss Ann, also just plainAnn, is a derisive reference to white women, it is also applied to any black woman who is deemed to be acting as though she is white. | [15][16] |
| Annamite, mites | French, English | Vietnamese people | [17][18][19] | |
| Ape | United States | Black people | Referring to outdated theories ascribing cultural differences between racial groups as being linked to their evolutionary distance fromchimpanzees, with which humans share common ancestry. | [20][21] |
| Apple | United States, Canada | Native Americans | First used in the 1970s. Someone who is "red on the outside, white on the inside". Used primarily by other Native Americans to indicate someone who has lost touch with their cultural identity. | [22] |
| Arapis (Greek:Αράπης); feminine:arapissa,arapena | Black people and Arabs | From Turkisharap for "Arab" or, colloquially, "dark-skinned-person" | [23] | |
| Arabush /Aravush (ערבוש)[24] | Israel | Arabs | Arabs, derived fromHebrew "Aravi" (Arab). | [25] |
| Argie / Argies (plural) | United Kingdom | Argentine people | Extensively used by theBritish soldiers during theFalklands War in 1982. | [26] |
| Armo | United States | Armenian /Armenian American | Especially used in Southern California. | [27][28] |
| Asing, Aseng | Indonesia | Non-Indonesian people, especially Chinese people | Insult to non-Indonesian citizen, from "[orang] asing" (foreigner) that rhymed with "Aseng" (Chinese name). This word is often directed at Chinese people due to Indonesia'srelationship with the PRC. | [29] |
| Ashke-Nazi (אשכנאצי) | Israel | Ashkenazi Jews | Pronounced like "AshkeNatzi". Used mostly byMizrachi Jews. | [30][31][32] |
| Aunt Jemima / Aunt Jane / Aunt Mary / Aunt Sally | United States | Black women | A black woman who "kisses up" to whites, a "sellout", female counterpart ofUncle Tom. | [33] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachicha | Chile | Italian people | Possibly derived from the Italian wordBaciccia, a nickname forGiambattista. | [34] |
| Baiano | Brazil | Northeastern Brazilian people | A person born inBahia, one of the 9 states in theNortheast Region of Brazil. As a slur, it refers generically to any Northeastern person. Used mainly inSão Paulo, the term is related to the Northeastern immigration of the second half of the 20th century. | [35] |
| Balija | Turkey,the Balkans | Bosnian people | An ethnicBosniak or a member of theBosnian diaspora. Not to be confused withBalija (Indian caste). | [36][37] |
| Bamboula | France | Black people | [38] | |
| Bambus | Poland | Black people, sometimes Asian people | Literally it meansbamboo in Polish but most probably it's derived from a popular children's poemMurzynek Bambo. | [39] |
| Banaan | Suriname | Black people, people ofAfrican descent | Dutch: Banana. A slur that is used to refer to black people, people of African heritage. It derives from the colour of a banana's skin, which is yellow or brown, and is therefore seen as an offensive way to describe black andcoloured people's skin colour. | [40] |
| Banana | United States, Canada | East or Southeast Asian people | "Yellow on the outside, white on the inside". Used primarily by East or Southeast Asians for other East- or Southeast Asians orAsian Americans who are perceived as assimilated into mainstream American culture. Similar toApple. | [41][42] |
| Banderite | Poland | Ukrainians | The termBanderite was originally used to refer to theultra-nationalist wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, in reference to its leaderStepan Bandera. In Poland, the term "banderowiec" is used in connection with themassacres of Poles in Volhynia by the UPA. The term became a crucial element of Soviet propaganda and was used as a pejorative description of Ukrainian nationalists, or sometimes western Ukrainians or Ukrainian-speakers. Today the term is used in Russian propaganda to associate Ukrainian politics with Nazism. | [43][44][45][46][47][48] |
| Barbarian | Greece | Non-Greek people | Someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. βάρβαρος (barbaros pl. βάρβαροιbarbaroi). InAncient Greece, the Greeks used the term towards those who did not speak Greek and follow classical Greek customs. | [49] |
| Beaner / Beaney | United States | Hispanic orLatino people, especiallyMexicans | The term originates from the use offrijoles pintos and other beans that can be generally found inMexican food or other Hispanic and Latino foods. | [50][51][52] |
| Bimbo | German | Africans, people with very dark skin in general | The origin of this term is disputed, but experts suggest that it either derives from the Central African town ofBimbo, or from the former state ofBimbia, which was annexed by the German colony ofKamerun. | [53] |
| Bing /Binghi | Australia | Aboriginal Australians | "Binghi" was originally an aboriginal word for "brother". Later generalized to all Aboriginal Australians. | [54] |
| Black Buck, black brute, brown buck or brown brute | United States | Black men | Originating in the post-Reconstruction United States, it was used to describe black men who absolutely refused to bend to the law of white authority and were seen as irredeemably violent, rude, and lecherous. | [55] |
| Blackie | English | Black person | [56] | |
| Blatte | Sweden | Foreigners with dark skin | [57] | |
| Bluegum | United States | African Americans | An African American perceived as being lazy and unwilling to work. | [58] |
| Boche / bosche / bosch | France; United States; United Kingdom | German people | Shortened from the French termcaboche dure, meaning "hard head" or "cabbage head" with the influence of German surname Bosch. | [59] |
| Boeotian | Athenians | Boeotian Greek people | Referring to the supposed stupidity of the inhabitants of the neighboring Boeotia region of Greece. | [60] |
| Boerehater / Boer-hater / Boer hater | South Africa; United Kingdom | British people | Refers to a person who hates, prejudices, or criticizes theBoers, orAfrikaners – historically applied toBritish people who held anti-Boers sentiments. | [61][62][63] |
| Bog / Bogtrotter / Bog-trotter | United Kingdom, Ireland, United States | Irish people | A person of common or low-class Irish ancestry. | [64][65] |
| Bogate | Chile | Yugoslav people | The expression is said to come from the Yugoslav interjectionBoga ti! | [66] |
| Bohunk | United States, Canada | Bohemian people | A lower-class immigrant ofCentral,Eastern, orSoutheastern European descent. Originally referred to those ofBohemian (now Czech Republic) descent. It was commonly used towardCentral European immigrants during the early 20th century. Probably from Bohemian + a distortion of Hungarian. See alsohunky. | [67] |
| Bolita | Argentina | Bolivians | [68] | |
| Bong | India | Bengali people | [69] | |
| Boong / Boang / Bong / Bung | Australia | Aboriginal Australians | [First used in 1847 by JD Lang,Cooksland, 430]. Boong, pronounced withʊ (like the vowel inbull), is related to theAustralian English slang wordbung, meaning "dead", "infected", or "dysfunctional". Frombung, to go bung "Originally to die, then to break down, go bankrupt, cease to function [Ab.bong dead]". The 1988 edition of theAustralian National Dictionary gives its origin in the Wemba word for "man" or "human being". However,Frederick Ludowyk of theAustralian National Dictionary Centre wrote in 2004 thatbong meaning "dead" is not aWiradjuri word, but may have been picked up or assumed from the word "bung" which was originally aYagara word which was used in thepidgin widely spoken across Australia in colonial times. | [54] |
| Boonga / boong / bunga / boonie | New Zealand | Pacific Islanders | Likely derived from the similar Australian slur | [75][76] |
| Bootlip | United States | African American people | [77] | |
| Bougnoule | France,Wolof | Arabian people, North Africans, Black people | Analogous to Wog or Raghead, originally was used against Black people but broadened to brown Arabs | [78] |
| Bounty bar | United Kingdom | Black people | A black person who is considered to be behaving like a white person (i.e. dark on the outside, white on the inside). | [79] |
| Bozgor | Romania | Hungarian people | Used especially on ones born in Romania. Possibly derived from theMoldavian Csángó dialect pronunciation ofbocskor meaningOpanak, a type of rustic footwear. | [80] |
| Brillo Pad | United States | Black People | Used to refer to the hair of a black person | [81] |
| Brownie | United States, New Zealand, and Australia | Brown-skinned people, an Asian | Used in the 1850s–1960s; in Australia it was used for an Aboriginal Australian or someone Japanese; in New Zealand, aMāori | [82] |
| Buckwheat | United States | Black people | The name of a black character that appeared in theOur Gang (Little Rascals) short films. Today it is used to refer to the curly hair of a black person. | [83][84] |
| Buddhahead | United States | Asian people | Also used by mainlandJapanese Americans to refer toHawaiian Japanese Americans sinceWorld War II. | [85][86] |
| Buckra, Bakra | United States, West Indies | White people fromSub-Saharan African languages | [87] | |
| Bulbash | Russia, Ukraine | Belarusians | Derived from Belarusian word "bulba" (potatoes), based on the fact that potatoes are a very common ingredient inBelarusian cuisine. | [88][89] |
| Bule | Indonesia | White people or foreigner | Derived from an archaic Indonesian word foralbino. | [90] |
| Bumbay | Philippines | People from India | FromBombay | [91] |
| Burrhead / Burr-head / Burr head | United States | Black people | ReferencingAfro-textured hair. | [92] |
| Bushy (s.) / Bushies, Amadushie (p.) | South Africa | Khoisans | Historically used against theKhoisan people in Southern Africa, referring to theirnomadic lifestyle and reliance on the bush for survival. | [93] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabbage eater | German andRussian people | [94][95] | ||
| Canaca | Chile | Chinese and Japanese people | Canaca is a slur originating inOceania. | [66] |
| Camel jockey / Camel dung-shoveler | Middle Eastern people | [96][97][98] | ||
| Carcamano | Brazil | Italian people | Used during the early 20th century, during the Second wave of Italian immigration to Brazil. | [99] |
| Chakhchakh / Baboon | Israel | Mizrahi Jews | An Israeli derogatory nickname that was common in the 20th century. The term is probably based on the accent immigrants from Islamic countries spoke. | [100] |
| Chakma | Bangladesh | Jumma,Chinese andBurmese people | The term "Chakma" comes from the name of an ethnic group known asChakma and is used to refer to people withMongoloid features in Bangladesh, especially Chinese, Burmese and indigenous groups from theChittagong Hill Tracts. | [101][102] |
| Chankoro | Japan | Chinese people | Japanese:チャンコロ, a Japanese reference to a Chinese person. Often given as either derived fromChinese:清國虜;pinyin:Qīngguólǔ (lit. 'Qingprisoner') orChinese:中國人;pinyin:Zhōngguórén (lit. 'Chinese person') | [103] |
| Charlie | United States | White Americans | Used in the 1960s–1970s. White people as a reified collective oppressor group, similar toThe Man orThe System. | [104] |
| United States | Vietnamese people | Vietnam War slang term used by American troops as a shorthand term for Vietnamese guerrillas, derived from the verbal shorthand for "Victor Charlie", theNATO phonetic alphabet for VC, the abbreviation forViet Cong. The (regular)North Vietnamese Army was referred to as "Mr. Charles". | [105][106][107] | |
| China Swede | United States | Finns | Derogatory term forFinnish immigrants to the United States, particularly inMinnesota andMichigan. | [108][109] |
| Chee-chee, Chi-chi | South Asia | Eurasian Mixed-race people, especiallyAnglo-Indians | Probably derived from Hindichi-chi fie!, literally, dirt. | [110][111] |
| Cheese-eating surrender monkeys | United States | French people | The term originated with a 1995episode ofThe Simpsons. | [112] |
| Chefur (čefur) | Slovenia | Non-Slovenian people offormer Yugoslavia (Serbs,Croats,Bosniaks,Montenegrins,Macedonians) | [113] | |
| Tsekwa / Chekwa | Philippines | Chinese Filipino people | Used inFilipino/Tagalog and otherPhilippine languages, which derived it from the late 19th centuryCebuano Bisaya street children'slimerick,Cebuano:Intsik, wákang, káun, kalibang!,lit. 'Chinese (laborer), I work, eat, and shit!', where "Intsik"/"Insik" is derived from thePhilippine Hokkien term,Chinese:𪜶叔;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:in chek;lit. 'his/her/their uncle', while "wakang"/"gwakang" is derived from thePhilippine Hokkien term,Chinese:我工;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:góa kang;lit. 'I work', while "kaon"/"kaun" is from theCebuano Bisaya term,Cebuano:kaon,lit. 'to eat', while "kalibang" is from theCebuano Bisaya term,Cebuano:kalibang,lit. 'to defecate'. | [114][115] |
| Chernomazy | Russia | Black-skinned people, e.g. Africans or indigenous people from theCaucasus, e.g. fromChechnya or Azerbaijan. | черномазый, meaning "smeared in black" in Russian. | |
| Chernozhopy | Russia | Same as, but more insulting than, "chernomazy" | черножопый, orchornaya zhopa, meaning "black-arse" in Russian. | [116][117][118] |
| Chilango | Mexico | Mexico City inhabitants | [119][120] | |
| Chilote | Argentina | Chilean people | [121] | |
| Chinaman | United States, Canada | Chinese people | Acalque of theChinese 中國人. It was used in the gold rush and railway-construction eras in western United States when discrimination against the Chinese was common. | [122] |
| Ching chong | China, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines | Chinese people | Mocking a person or language perceived to be of Chinese descent. | [123] |
| Chink | China, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia,Philippines | East and South East Asians | [124] | |
| Chinky / Chinky Chonky | China, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia,Philippines | East and South East Asians | [125][126] | |
| Chirigüillo / Chiriwillo | Mexico | Non-White Mexican migrants | A pejorative term used in the state ofNuevo León to refer to Mexicans from white-minority regions who are singled out for their ethnicity, skin color, or rural origin. | [127][128] |
| Chonky | Asian people | Refers to a person of Asian heritage with "white attributes", in either personality or appearance. | [129] | |
| Christ-killer | Jewish people | An allusion toJewish deicide. | [130][131] | |
| Choc ice | Black people | A person who is figuratively "black on the outside, white on the inside". | [132][133] | |
| Cholo | Latin America,Southwestern United States | Indigenous orMestizo people | It may be derogatory depending on circumstances. | [134][135][136][137] |
| Chile | Bolivian people,Peruvian people | [66][138] | ||
| Chon /Baka-Chon | Japan | Korean people | [139] | |
| Chow | Australia | Chinese people | Used as early as 1864, rare now | [140][141] |
| Chowmein | India | Chinese people, Northeast Indians | ||
| Chuchmek (Russian:чучмек) / Chechmek (Russian:чечмек) | Russia / Russian-speaking regions | Middle / Central Asian people (in rare instances people from the Caucasus), in a broader sense Non-Russians, Non-European-looking people | FromChichimec,[142] a derogatory term used by the Aztecs and other Mesoamericans to describe the Chichimecs as "uncivilized, aggressive savages", similar to how the ancient Romans called Germanic tribes "barbarians". This name, with its derogatory meaning, was later adopted and brought to Europe by Spanish conquerors. | [143][144] |
| Chug | Canada | Canadian aboriginal people | SeeChugach for the native people. | [145] |
| Chukhonets (pluralchukhoncy),chukhna | Russia | Finnic people | [146][147] | |
| Churka (Russian:чурка) | Russia | Western and Central Asians | 1. Chock of wood[148] 2. Ignorant person[148] | [117] |
| Ciapaty, ciapak | Poland | Middle Eastern,North African,South Asian, andCaucasian people. | Derived fromchapati. | [149][150] |
| Cigányforma | Hungary | Persons with the combination of black hair with brown eyes, regardless of ethnicity | Used in 17th century Hungary; literal meaning is "gypsy form" | [151] |
| Cigány népek | Hungary | Ethnic groups or nations where the combination of black hair with brown eyes is dominant | Used in 17th century Hungary; literal meaning is "gypsy folks" | [152] |
| Cioară | Romania | Romani people andBlack people | Meanscrow | [153] |
| Cina / Cokin | Indonesia | Chinese people | Use in media has been banned since 2014 under Keppres (Keputusan Presiden, lit. Presidential Decree) No. 12 of 2014, replaced byTiongkok (from Zhongguo 中国) or Tionghoa (from Zhonghua 中华). The Keppres even bans use of "China" in media and formal use. | [154][155] |
| Coconut | United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia | Hispanics/Latinos, South/Southeast Asians | Named after thecoconut, in the American sense, it derives from the fact that a coconut is brown on the outside and white on the inside. A person of Hispanic/Latino or South/Southeast Asian descent who is seen as being assimilated into white American culture. | [41][156][42] |
| South Asians | Abrown person of South Asian descent is perceived as fully assimilated intoWestern culture. | [157][158][159] | ||
| Pacific Islander | [160] | |||
| Colono | Brazil (mainlyRio Grande do Sul) | Italian Brazilians andGerman Brazilians | Although it is not generally considered an insult in other parts of Brazil, inRio Grande do Sul it is considered pejorative because it is considered an offensive nickname similar toCaipira and is given to those who are native to the Rio Grande do Sul countryside (mainlyCaxias do Sul andBento Gonçalves), who are descendants of Italians or Germans and who have a strong accent compared to those who are native to the state's capital,Porto Alegre. | [161] |
| Coño | Chile | Spanish people | Used in to refer to Spanish people given the perception that they recurrently use the vulgar interjectioncoño (lit. 'cunt'). | [34] |
| Coolie | United States, Canada | Asian people, usuallyChinese, andIndo-Caribbean people | Unskilled Asian laborer (originally used in the 19th century for Chinese railroad laborers). Possibly from Mandarin "苦力"ku li or Hindikuli, "day laborer." Also racial epithet forIndo-Caribbean people, especially inGuyana,Trinidad and Tobago andSouth African Indians. | [162][163] |
| Coon, cooney | United States, Commonwealth | Black people | Slur popularized byCoon songs played atMinstrel show. Originally associated in the 1830s with the U.S.Whig Party who used a raccoon as their emblem. The Whigs were more tolerant towards blacks than other main parties. After the party folded the term "coon" evolved from political slang into a racial slur. Within African American communities, the word has been used to refer to a black person who is allegedly a "sellout".[164] | [165][166][167][168][169] |
| Australia | Aboriginal Australian | [170] | ||
| New Zealand | Pacific Islander | [170] | ||
| Coonass, Coon-ass | United States | Cajun people | Not to be confused with the Frenchconnasse, meaningcunt. | [171] |
| Coreano | Chile | Chinese and Japanese people | [66] | |
| Cotton picker | United States | Individuals of African descent, includingAfrican-Americans andCape Coloureds orColoureds | Historically referred to someone who harvested cotton by hand, often used in the context of American slavery when enslaved black people were forced to pick cotton on plantations. The phrase originally referred to the actual occupation of picking cotton on plantations in the American South, but that it later became a racial slur used to denigrate people ofAfrican descent, includingAfrican-Americans andCape Coloureds orColoureds. | [172][173][174] |
| Cracker | United States | White people, especially poor Appalachian and Southern people | Entered general use in the United States as a pejorative for white people, though may be used neutrally in context. Can specifically refer to white settlers, as withFlorida orGeorgia crackers. | [175][176] |
| Crow | United States | Black people | [177] | |
| Crucco (m.), crucca (f.) | Italy | German people | The name was firstly given during theFirst World War to the troops of theAustro-Hungarian Army ofCroatian andSlovenian ethnicity. Later the term was used to indicate the Germans. | [178] |
| Culchie | Ireland | Rural Irish people | Applied by townspeople or city folk as a condescending or pejorative reference to people from rural areas. | [179][180] |
| Curepí | Paraguay | Argentines | A common term used by people from Paraguay for people from Argentina, it means "pig's skin". | [181][182] |
| Curry-muncher | Australia, Africa, New Zealand, United States, Canada | South Asian People | [183] | |
| Cushi, Kushi (כושי) | Israel | Dark-skinned people | Term originated from Kushite, referring to an individual from the AncientKingdom of Kush. This was also mentioned in theHebrew Bible generally used to refer to people usually ofAfricandescent. Originally merely descriptive, in present-dayIsrael it increasingly assumed a pejorative connotation and is regarded as insulting byEthiopian Israelis; and by non-Jewish,Sub-Saharan African migrant workers and asylum seekers in Israel. | [184] |
| Czarnuch (m.), czarnucha (f.) | Poland | Black people | From "czarny" (black). Equivalent ofnigger. | [185] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dago, Dego | United States, Commonwealth | Italians,Spaniards,Greeks,Portuguese orMaltese people; in the United States, primarily used for Italians and people of Italian descent | Possibly derived from the Spanish name "Diego" | [186][187][188] |
| Dal Khor | Pakistan | Indians and Pakistanis (specificallyPunjabis) | The term literally translates to "dal eater", connoting the supposedly higher emphasis onpulses and vegetables in the diet of countryside Punjabis. | [189] |
| Dalle, Batak Dalle | Indonesia | Batak people | Bataks who cannot speaktheir language or reject Batak culture. | [190][191][192] |
| Darky / Darkey / Darkie | Worldwide | Black people | According to lexicographer Richard A. Spears, the word "darkie" used to be considered mild and polite, before it took on a derogatory and provocative meaning. | [193][194] |
| DEI / DEI hire / Diversity hire | United States | Women andpeople of color (especially Black people) | The term is sometimes used to imply that women, non-white people, and members of the LGBTQ community are inherently unqualified for positions of power, and that they can only get jobs throughtokenism. | [195][196] |
| Dhoti | Nepal | Indian orMadheshi people | As reference to their indigenous clothingDhoti worn by people of Indian subcontinent. | [197] |
| Dink | United States | Southeast Asian, particularlyVietnamese people. | Originated during 1965–70 Americanism. Also used as a disparaging term for a North Vietnamese soldier or guerrilla in the Vietnam War. (Note: If rendered inALL CAPS, thenDINK may be the benign lifestyle acronym fordual-income, no kids [a couple with two incomes and no child-raising expenses]) | [198] |
| Dogan, dogun | Canada | Irish Catholics | 19th century on; origin uncertain: perhaps fromDugan, an Irish surname. | [199] |
| Dothead, Dot | United States | Hindu women | In reference to thebindi. | [200][201] |
| Dune coon | United States | Arabian people | equivalent ofsand nigger (below). See alsoIslamophobic trope. | [202][203] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eight ball, 8ball | Black people | Referring to the black ball inpool. Slang, usually used disparagingly. | [204] | |
| Engelsman | South Africa | White South Africans ofBritish descent whose first language isEnglish | Afrikaans: Englishman. A derogatory term used to refer towhite South Africans ofBritish descent whose first language isEnglish. This is due tohistorical andcultural tensions betweenEnglish-speaking andAfrikaans-speaking white South Africans, which were fueled byBritish colonialism andapartheid policies. Some Afrikaans-speaking people view the English-speaking minority as elitist and condescending, and the use of the term "Engelsman" reflects these attitudes. | [205] |
| Eyetie | United States, United Kingdom | Italian people | Originated through the mispronunciation of "Italian" as "Eye-talian". Slang usually used disparagingly (especially during World War II). | [206][207][208] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fankui, fan-kui, fangui, gui-zi, guizi, gui | Chiefly Southeast Asia | Non-Chinese native people of Southeast Asia | These words (and any variations of them) are considered extremely derogatory, since they allege that anyone other than the Chinese have terrible attitudes and are uncivilised idiots (Gui or Guizi itself means demon). | [209][210][211][212] |
| Fresh off the boat, off the boat | Asian Americans orimmigrants in general | Referring toimmigrants who have traveled to another foreign country and have yet acculturated into the nation's ethnicity or language, but still perpetuate their cultures. The slur also was the name for a sitcom named 'Fresh Off The Boat'. | [213][214] | |
| Farang khi nok | Thailand | Poor white people | Is slang commonly used to insult white people, equivalent towhite trash, askhi meansfeces andnok means bird, referring to the white color of bird-droppings. | [215] |
| Fenian | Northern Ireland, Scotland | Irish Catholics | Derived from theFenian Brotherhood. | [216] |
| Festival children (Russian:Дети фестиваля) | USSR (from late 1950s) | Children of mixed ancestry, usually with a father who isblack or (more rarely) other non-European origins | It is believed that the first noticeable appearance of black and mixed-ancestry children in the USSR and Russia appeared after the6th World Festival of Youth and Students of 1957. The term was often used ironically and sometimes in a mildly derogatory fashion. This term is currently not used. | [217][218] |
| Feuj (verlan for juif) | France | Jewish people | [219] | |
| Fidschi(de) | East Germany | East or Southeast Asian people, particularly Vietnamese people | German forFiji, used to refer to anyone who looks East or Southeast Asian, particularly those of Vietnamese origin. | [220] |
| Fjellabe | Denmark | Norwegian people | Means mountain ape. Jocularly used by Danes mostly in sports. From the 1950s. Norway is mountainous while Denmark is flat without mountains. | [221] |
| Flip | United States | Filipino people | [222] | |
| Fodechincho | Spain | Non-Galician Spaniards | A derogatory term used inGalicia to refer to tourists from Spain, especially those from Madrid, although also those from other locations, but above all to those who do not respect or adapt to local customs. It comes fromGalicianfode (to steal) andchincho (a smallAtlantic horse mackerel). | [223][224] |
| Franchute | Chile, Argentina | French people | [34] | |
| Frenk | Ashkenazi Jews | Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews | Derived fromFranks (as a reference to Western Europeans), due to the fact Sephardi Jews areJudaeo-Spanish speakers. | [225] |
| Fritz,fricc,fryc,фриц,fricis | United Kingdom, France, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Latvia | German people | fromFriedrich (Frederick). | [226][227] |
| Frog, Froggy, Frogeater, Froschfresser | Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Germany | Dutch people(formerly) French andFrench Canadian people(currently) | Before the 19th century, referred to theDutch (as they were stereotyped as beingmarsh-dwellers). When France became Britain's main enemy, replacing the Dutch, the epithet was transferred to them, because of the French penchant for eating frogs' legs (see comparable French termRosbif). Also known in Slavic countries, but only towards the (mainland) French, see Polishżabojad, Ukrainianzhaboyid (жабоїд), Russianlyagushatnik (лягушатник); as well as in Basquefrantximant. | [228][229][230][231] |
| Fuzzy-Wuzzy | United Kingdom | Hadendoa people | Term used to refer to theHadendoa warriors in the 19th century, in reference to their elaborate hairstyles. Not applicable in Australia, seeFuzzy Wuzzy Angels. | [232] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabacho | Spain, Chile | French people | FromOccitangavach meaning "one who speaks wrong." | [233][34] |
| Mexico | American people, French people | Neutral or pejorative depending on context. | [234] | |
| Gabel | Albania, Kosovo | Romani people | Expression of disdain for someone, with the setting "Maxhup" | [235] |
| Gadjo | Non-Romani people | Technically a term for a person who does not possessRomanipen, it usually refers to non-Romanis and Romanis who do not live within Romani culture. | [236] | |
| Gaijin (外人) | Japan | Foreigners, especially those of non-East Asian origin | [237] | |
| Galla | Ethiopia | Oromo people or others inEthiopia andSomalia | Used since 1670 | [238][239] |
| Gam, Gammat | South Africa | Cape Coloured orColoured people | It means "a person who is low or of inferior status" in Afrikaans. | [240][241] |
| Gans (Ганс) | USSR | German people, or more uncommonlyLatvian people | The term originated among theSoviet troops inWorld War II, coming from Russified form of the Germanfirst nameHans. | [242][243][244] |
| Garoi | Romania | Romani people | It meanscrow. | [245] |
| Geomdung-i (검둥이) | South Korea | Black people | Korean forcoon | [246] |
| Gexhë | Kosovo | Serbs ofŠumadija | Derogatory expression for theSerbs of southern Serbia, ofŠumadija. | [235] |
| Ghati | India | Maharashtrians | Ethnic slur for Maharashtrians living inGhats | [247][248] |
| Gin | Australia | Aboriginal woman | Moore (2004), "gin" | |
| Gin jockey | Australia | White people | A white person having casual sex with an Aboriginal woman. | [249] |
| Godo | Spain | Non-Canarian Spaniards | A word used in theCanary Islands to refer disparagingly to Spaniards, provided they are non-Canary Islanders. The wordgodo literally means “Gothic,” originally referring to the Visigoths, which is a historical reference of theVisigothic Kingdom. | [250][251] |
| Godon | France | English people | An antiquated pejorative expression. Possibly a corruption of "God-damn". | [252][253] |
| Golliwog | United States, Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand | Darkskinned people, especially African-Caribbeans | An expression which originally was a children's literature character and type of black doll but which eventually came to be used as a jibe against people with dark skin. | [254] |
| Gook, Gook-eye, Gooky | United States | East and Southeast Asians, but particularly Koreans | The earliest recorded example is dated 1920. Used especially for enemy soldiers. Its use has been traced toUnited States Marines serving in thePhilippines in the early 20th century. It gained widespread notice as a result of the Korean and Vietnam wars. | [255][256][257] |
| Goombah | United States | Italian people, Italian-Americans | Initially applied to Italian or Italian-American men in general, it now also specifically carries connotations of stereotypical vulgar machismo andItalian Mafia orItalian-American Mafia involvement among ethnic Italians and Italian-Americans. However, "goombah" is also used among Italian-Americans themselves to refer to a friend or comrade; the word becomes pejorative mostly when used by a non-Italian to refer to an ethnic Italian or Italian-American in a derogatory or patronizing way rather than as a friendly term of address among Italian-Americans. Originates from theSouthern Italian wordcumpa orcumpari and theStandard Italian equivalent,compare, meaning "godfather" or "partner-in-crime". | [258] |
| Gora | South Asia | White people | From theHindigorā, meaning "fair, white". | [259] |
| Goy, Goyim, Goyum | Hebrew | Non-Jewish people | AHebrew biblical term for "Nation" or "People". ByRoman times it had also acquired the meaning of "non-Jew". In English, use may be benign, to refer to anyone who isn't Jewish, or controversial, as it can havepejorative connotations. | [260][261] |
| Grago, Gragok (shrimp) | Eurasians,Kristang people | A term forEurasians, and specifically for theKristang people ofMalaysia, many of whom were traditionally engaged in shrimp fishing. It often has pejorative connotations, especially when used by outsiders, though in recent generations members of the community have to some degree tried to reclaim the term. | [262] | |
| Greaseball,Greaser | United States | Mediterranean /Southern European andHispanic people, and especiallyItalian people. | Greaseball often generally refers to Italians or a person of Italian descent. Meanwhile, though it may be used as a shortening ofgreaseball to refer to Italians,greaser has been more often applied to Hispanic Americans orMexican Americans. However,greaseball (and to a lesser extent,greaser) can also refer to any person ofMediterranean/Southern European descent orHispanic descent, including Greeks, Spaniards, and the Portuguese, as well as Latin Americans.[263][264]Greaser also refer to members of a1950-1960s subculture whichItalian Americans andHispanic Americans were stereotyped to be a part of. "Greaser" in reference to the subculture has taken on a less derogatory connotation since the 1950s. | [265] |
| Greenhorn | United States, New England region, especially Massachusetts. | Portuguese people | Can also be used in a non-derogatory context when not referring to the Portuguese to mean anyone inexperienced at something. | [266] |
| Gringo | Spanish speakers, mostly Latin America | English speakers | Sometimes used byLatino Americans. In Mexico, the term means anAmerican. Likely from the Spanish word "griego", meaningGreek (similar to the English expression "It's all Greek to me"). | [267][268][269][270] |
| Brazil | Foreigners | A colloquial neutral term for any foreigner, regardless of race, ethnicity or origin (including Portuguese people), or for a person whose native language is not Portuguese (including people whose native language is Spanish). | [271][272][273][274] | |
| Southern Brazil | Italian descendants | A colloquial neutral term for Italian descendants of southern Brazil, specially inRio Grande do Sul | [275] | |
| Groid | United States | Black people | Derived from "negroid". | [276] |
| Gub, Gubba | Australia | White people | Aboriginal term for white people | [277] |
| Guiri | Spain | Foreigners | Originally described the supporters of QueenMaria Christina. Now describes White Northern Europeans. | [278][279] |
| Guizi (鬼子) | Mainland China | Non-Chinese | Basically the same meaning as the termgweilo used in Hong Kong. More often used when referring foreigners as military enemies, such asriben guizi (日本鬼子, Japanese devils, because of theSecond Sino-Japanese War), andmeiguo guizi (美国鬼子, American devils, because of theKorean War). | [280][281][citation needed] |
| Guido, Guidette | United States | Italian Americans | Derives from theItalian given name, Guido. Guidette is the female counterpart. Used mostly in theNortheastern United States as a stereotype for working-class urban Italian Americans. | [282][283] |
| Guinea, Ginzo | Italian people | Most likely derived from "Guinea Negro", implying that Italians are dark or swarthy-skinned like the natives ofGuinea. The diminutive "Ginzo" probably dates back to World War II and is derived from Australian slang picked up by United States servicemen in the Pacific Theater. | [284] | |
| Gummihals | Switzerland | German people | Literally "rubber neck" | [285] |
| Gusano | Cuba | Cuban exiles after the revolution | Literally "worm" | [286][287][288] |
| Gweilo, gwailo, kwai lo (鬼佬) | Southern Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau | White men | Loosely translated as "foreign devil"; more literally, might be "ghost dude/bloke/guy/etc".Gwei means "ghost". The color white is associated with ghosts in China. Alo is a regular guy (i.e. a fellow, a chap, or a bloke). Once a mark of xenophobia, the word is now in general, informal use. | [289] |
| Gyp / Gip | Romani people | Shortened version of "gypsy" | [290] | |
| Gypsy, Gyppo, gippo, gypo, gyppie, gyppy, gipp | United Kingdom, Australia | Egyptian people andRomani people | Derived from "Egyptian", Egypt being mistakenly considered these people's origin. | [291] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hairyback | South Africa | Afrikaners | [292] | |
| Hajji, Hadji, Haji | United States Military | Iraqi people | May also be used to describe anyone from a predominantly Muslim country. Derived from the honorificAl-Hajji, the title given to a Muslim who has completed theHajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). | [293][294][295] |
| Half-breed | Worldwide | Multi-ethnic people | Métis is aFrench term, also used in Canadian English, for a half-breed, andmestizo is the equivalent inSpanish, although these are not offensiveper se. | [296][297][citation needed] |
| Half-caste | England, Australia | Mixed race (usually betweenAustralian Aboriginal and white people in Australian parlance) | Originally used as a legal and social term. | [298][299] |
| Hambaya, hamba (Sinhala:හම්බයා, හම්බ) | Sri Lanka | Muslims in Sri Lanka | From හම්බන්කාරයා (hambankārayā); derived from the Sinhala word for thesampan boats (Sinhala:හම්බන්,hamban) used by seafarers from the Malay Archipelago, from whomSri Lankan Malays trace partial descent. Its use as an epithet for Muslims (Moors) traces back to the late 19th century colonial period. | [300] |
| Haole | United States, Hawaiian | Non-Hawaiian people, almost always white people. | Can be used neutrally, dependent on context. | [301] |
| Heeb, Hebe | United States | Jewish people | Derived from the word "Hebrew." | [302][303] |
| Heigui (黑鬼) | China, Taiwan | Black people | Literally means "black ghost" or "black devil", used similarly to English phrases such asnigga ornigger. | [304][305] |
| Heukhyeong (흑형) | South Korea | Black people | Korean: Black brother. A Korean ethnic slur sometimes for black people. | [306] |
| Hevosmies | Finland | Romani people | Fromhevos- +mies, referring to Gypsy horsemanship. | [307] |
| Hike | United States | Italian immigrants | Sometimes used with or to distinguish from "Hunk" ("Hunky"). | [308][309] |
| Hillbilly | United States | Appalachian orOzark Americans | [310] | |
| Honky, honkey, honkie | United States | White people | Derived from an African American pronunciation of "hunky," the disparaging term for a Hungarian laborer. The first record of its use as an insulting term for a white person dates from the 1950s. | [311][unreliable source?] |
| New Zealand | European New Zealanders | Used by Māori to refer to New Zealanders of European descent. | [312] | |
| Hori | New Zealand | Māori | From the formerly common Maorified version of the English nameGeorge. | [313] |
| Hottentot, Hotnot | South Africa | Khoisans andCape Coloureds orColoureds | A derogatory term historically used to refer to theKhoisan people of Southern Africa and their descendants,coloureds. It originated from the Dutch settlers who arrived in the region in the 17th century. | [314][315] |
| Houtkop | South Africa | Black people | Literally "wooden head" | [316] |
| Huan-a, Huana | Taiwan and Southeast Asia | Non-Chinese native people | This word is derogatory becausehuan-a means "foreigner" which portrays non-Chinese natives as not human.[citation needed] In Taiwan, it carries the connotation of "aborigine". In Indonesia, it refers to non-Chinese native people descended from the many ethnolinguistic groups native to Indonesia commonly known by the termpribumi (e.g.,Javanese,Sundanese,Batak, andBuginese). | [317][318][319][320] |
| Huinca | Argentina, Chile | Non-Mapuche Chileans, non-Mapuche Argentines | Mapuche term dating back at least to theConquest of Chile. | [321][322] |
| Hujaa (хужаа) | Mongolia | Chinese people | Equivalent to the word chink. | [323] |
| Hun | United States, United Kingdom | German people | (United States, United Kingdom) Germans, especially German soldiers; popular during World War I. Derived from a speech given by Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany to the German contingent sent to China during theBoxer Rebellion in which he exhorted them to "be like Huns" (i.e., savage and ruthless) to their Chinese enemy. | [324] |
| Ireland | Protestants andBritish soldiers | AProtestant in Northern Ireland or historically, a member of theBritish military inIreland ("Britannia's huns"). | [325][326] | |
| Hunky, Hunk | United States | Central European laborers | It originated in the coal regions of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, where Poles and other immigrants from Central Europe (Hungarians (Magyar),Rusyns, Slovaks) came to perform hard manual labor in the mines. | [327][309] |
| Hurri | Finland | Swedish-speaking population of Finland, Swedish people | Initially used as a derogatory term for the Swedish-speaking minority of Finland, sometimes used as a slur for any Swedish speaker | [328] |
| Hymie | United States | Jewish people | Derived from the personal name Hyman (from theHebrew nameChayyim).Jesse Jackson provoked controversy when he referred to New York City as "Hymietown" in 1984. Has also been spelled "Heimie", as a reflection of popular Jewish last names ending in -heim. | [329] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ikey / Ike / Iky: a Jew [fromIsaac] | Jewish people | Derived from the nameIsaac, an important figure inHebrew culture. | [330] | |
| Ikey-mo / Ikeymo | Jewish people | Derived from the namesIsaac andMoses, two important figures inHebrew culture. | [331] | |
| Indio / Indito | Indigenous people | Although the termindio is a demonym for the aboriginal populations of the American continent, in some countries it has acquired a derogatory connotation. | [332][333] | |
| Indon | Malaysia,Singapore | Indonesian people | Clipping ofIndonesia. | [334] |
| Indognesial / Indonesial | Malaysia | Indonesian people | Which similar to "Indon" term mixed with "Dog" and "Sial" (Malay word for "Damn"). | [335] |
| Intsik | Philippines | Chinese Filipino people | Used inFilipino/Tagalog and otherPhilippine languages. Based on thePhilippine Hokkien term,Chinese:𪜶叔;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:in chek;lit. 'his/her/their uncle'. | [114] |
| Inyenzi | Rwanda | Tutsi people | A person of the Tutsi ethnic group in Africa. Literally means "Cockroach" and reportedly derives from how Tutsi rebels would attack at night and retreat, being hard to kill, like a cockroach. Most notably came to worldwide prominence around the time of theRwanda genocide, as it was used by theRTLM in order toincite genocide. | [336][337][338] |
| Indian Giver | United States | Native Americans | Presumes that when Native Americans give gifts they intend to take them back. It is applied to anyone who does this to paint them as performing an action akin to an "Indian". | [339] |
| Injun | United States | Native Americans | Corruption of "Indian" | [340] |
| Inselaffe | Germany | English people,British people in general | Translates to "Island monkey" | [341][342] |
| Inu | Japan | Ainu people | Word literally meaning dog in Japanese. Pun of unknown origin, but used to compare thehirsute genetics of Ainu people with the fur coat of dogs. Possibly also has to do withMatagi hunters, who have Ainu ancestry, working withAkita Inu. Usually used pejoratively likebitch, another term comparing people to dogs. | [343][344][345] |
| Itor | Bangladesh | People from the Greater Cumilla region (Cumilla,Brahmanbaria andChandpur) | The term "ITOR" borrowed from the English acronym for "Information Technology Organiser" was a title given by theBritish to people from the Tipperah district (now the districts of Cumilla, Brahmanbaria and Chandpur) in theBengal province due to their quick thinking, cleverness and consistent success. It is now used as slang byBangladeshis to refer to people from these three districts. | [346] |
| Itaker | Germany | Italian people | Formerly used as a nickname for Italian soldiers and the since the 1960s as a slur for Italian immigrants. | [347] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackeen | Ireland | Dublin people | Believed to be in reference to theUnion Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom. By adding the Irish diminutive suffix -een meaning little to Jack thereby ¨meaning "Little Jack" and implying "little Englishmen". It was more commonly used to separate those ofAnglo-Irish heritage from those ofGaelic heritage. While the term is applied to Dublin people alone today, it was applied in the past as a pejorative term against all city dwellers and not just those in Dublin. | [348][349] |
| Jakun | Malaysia | Unsophisticated people, from the Malay name of an indigenous ethnic group. | [350] | |
| Jamet, Jamet kuproy | Indonesia | Javanese people | Jamet stands forJawa metal (a metalhead Javanese), while kuproy stands forkuli proyek (construction workers). | [351] |
| Japa | Brazil | Japanese people | Usually an affectionate way of referring to Japanese people (or, more generally, East Asian people), although it may be considered a slur. This term is never censored (as a slur typically would be) when it appears in mass media. | [352] |
| Jap | United States | Japanese people | Mostly found use during World War II, post-WWII. | [353] |
| Jewish women | Usually written in all capital letters as an acronym for "Jewish-American princess," a stereotype ofJewish American women asmaterialistic or pampered. | [354] | ||
| Japie, yarpie | White, rural South Africans | Derived fromplaasjapie, "farm boy". | [355] | |
| Jawir | Indonesia | Javanese people, especially Javanese people with darker skin | Comes from the words "Jawa" and "Ireng" from a Javanese word means black | [356] |
| Jerry | Commonwealth | German people, especially soldiers | Probably an alteration of "German". Origin ofJerry can. Used especially during World War I and World War II. | [357] |
| Jewboy | United States, United Kingdom | Jewish boys | Originally directed at young Jewish boys who sold counterfeit coins in 18th century London. | [358][359] |
| Jidan / Jidov / Jidovin(ă) | Romania | Jewish person. | [360] | |
| Jiggaboo, jiggerboo, niggerboo, jiggabo, jigarooni, jijjiboo, zigabo, jig, jigg, jigger | United States | Black people with stereotypical black features (e.g., dark skin, wide nose, and big lips). | From aBantu verbtshikabo, meaning "they bow the head docilely," indicating meek or servile individuals. | [361][362][363] |
| Jim Crow | United States | Black people | [364] | |
| Jjangkkae | Korea | Chinese people | [365] | |
| Jjokbari | Korea | Japanese people | [366] | |
| Jock, jocky, jockie | United Kingdom | Scottish people | Scots language nickname for the personal name John, cognate to the English, Jack. Occasionally used as an insult, but also in a respectful reference when discussing Scottish troops, particularly those from Highland regiments. For example, see the9th (Scottish) Division. Same vein as the English insult for the French, asFrogs. InIan Rankin's detective novelTooth and Nail the protagonist – a Scottish detective loaned to the London police – suffers from prejudice by English colleagues who frequently use "Jock" and "Jockland" (Scotland) as terms of insult; the book was based on the author's own experience as a Scot living in London. | [367] |
| Jovenlandés | Spain | Alleged criminal non-European migrants | A term used to refer to young people of foreign origin who appear in news reports, generally as (alleged) perpetrators of crimes, and whose nationality is omitted. | [368][369] |
| Jungle bunny | United States, Commonwealth | Black people | [370] | |
| Jutku, jutsku | Finland | Jewish people | [371] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaew (แกว) | Northeastern Thailand | Vietnamese people | [372][373] | |
| Kaffir, kaffer, kaffir,kafir, kaffre, kuffar | South Africa | Black andCape Coloured orColoured people | Also caffer or caffre. from Arabickafir meaning "disbeliever". | [374][375] |
| Kaffir boetie | South Africa | Black andCape Coloured sympathizers during apartheid | Meaning "Kaffir brothers", it is analogous to "negro lover" in English. The term is outdated and no longer used. | [376] |
| Kanglu,Kangladeshi | Bangladesh,India,Pakistan | Bangladeshis | A portmanteu of the wordskaṅgāl (meaning poor, broke, pauper) andBangladeshi. It is used to refer to Bangladeshis, associating them with poverty or immigration issues. | [377] |
| Kalar | Myanmar | Muslim citizens who are "black-skinned",Bengali,Rohingya or any South Asian Muslim or Hindus or "undesirable aliens." | The word "Kalar" is derived from the Burmese word "ကုလား" (ku.la:). It is a word often used inMyanmar, usually in a negative way to refer to people with darker skin, especially those of South Asian descent (especially Bengalis or Rohingyas) or dark-skinned Muslims and Hindus. | [378] |
| Kalbit | Russian | Central Asians | [379] | |
| Kalia, Kalu, Kallu | Indian | Darkskinned people | Literally means "blackie", generally used for black-skinned people in India. Can also have a racist overtone when referring to Africans. | [380][381] |
| Katwa, Katwe | Indian | Muslim males | Word used to describe Muslim males for having acircumcised penis as mentioned in theKhitan of Islam. | [382][383] |
| Kanaka | Australia | Pacific Islanders | [384][385] | |
| Kanake | German | Turkish people, foreigners in general | Originally used to refer to Native Polynesians. To some extent re-appropriated. | [386] |
| Kano | Philippines | White Americans | Usually used inFilipino (Tagalog) or otherPhilippine languages. Shortened from theFilipino word "Amerikano". It usually refers toAmericans, especially a stereotypicalmalewhite American, which may extend to western foreigners that may fit the stereotype which the speaker is not familiar with, especially those fromEurope,Australia,New Zealand, etc. | [387] |
| Kaouiche, Kawish | Canadian French | Native Americans | [388][389] | |
| Käskopp | Germany | Dutch people | Middle German slur that translates to "cheese head". | [386] |
| Katsap, kacap, kacapas | Ukraine,Belarus,Poland,Lithuania,Russia | Russian people | Ukrainian:кацап,Lithuanian:kacapas; self-deprecating usage by Russians. | [citation needed] |
| Kebab | Muslims, usually ofArabian,Turkic orIranian descent. | Its origin is aSerbian music video that was recorded in 1993 during the Yugoslav Wars but the phrase has spread globally amongst far-right groups and the alt-right as a meme between 2006 and 2008. Famously Turkish internet users parodied the sentiment of Serbian nationalists online, with a satirical incoherent rant that ended with the phrase "remove kebab" being repeated. Although the meme initially intended to parody racism, this meaning behind the meme was lost once it became common in alt-right discourse. | [390] | |
| Keling, kling | Indonesia,Malaysia,Singapore | Indian people | In Indonesian, the term can be applied to any person with dark complexion, not only of Indian descent, but also to native Indonesians with darker complexion and Africans. The term is derived from the ancientIndian region ofKalinga, where many immigrants to countries further east originated. | [391] |
| Kemosabe / Kemosahbee | United States | Native Americans | The term used by the fictional Native American sidekick Tonto as the "Native American" name for the Lone Ranger in the American television and radio programsThe Lone Ranger. | [392][393] |
| Kettō (毛唐) | Japan | Westerners | Literally means "foreigners full of body hair". Alternative form:ketōjin (毛唐人) | [394] |
| Khach (Russian:Хач), Khachik (Russian:Хачик) | Russia | Peoples of the Caucasus, particularlyNorth Caucasus andArmenians | From Armenian խաչkhach, meaning cross (cf.khachkar).Khatchik is also an Armenian given name coming from the same root. | [395][396] |
| Kharadim | Israel | Haredi Jews | Blend word of khara (shit in Hebrew) + Haredi | [397] |
| Kharkhuwa | India | Assamese people | [citation needed] | |
| Khawal | Egypt | Gay people | [398] | |
| Khokhol (Russian:Хохол) | Russia,Poland | Ukrainian people | Derived from a term for a traditional Cossack-style haircut. | [399] |
| Khựa | Vietnam | Chinese people | Variant form of "Tàu khựa" | [400] |
| Ikula (s.) / Amakula (p.) | South Africa | A person or peopleIndian heritage. | [401] | |
| Kike | United States | Jews | Possibly from קײַקלkikel,Yiddish for "circle". Immigrant Jews who could not read English often signed legal documents with an "O" (similar to an "X", to which Jews objected because "X" also symbolizes a cross). Also known by the euphemism "K-word".[402] | [403] |
| Kimchi | Korean people | [404] | ||
| Kıro | Turkey | Kurdish men | A word used to describe rude and hairy men, pejoratively refers to the Kurds. | [405] |
| Kitayozaкитаёза | Russia | East Asian people, especially the Chinese. | Derived from "kitayets". (Cyrillic:китаец) | [406][407] |
| Kkamdungi (깜둥이) | South Korea | Black people | Korean fornigga ornigger. | [408] |
| Knacker | Ireland | Irish Travelers | [409][410] | |
| Kojaengi (코쟁이) | South Korea | Westerners | From코 ("nose") and-쟁이 (derogatory suffix), prevalently used during the 19th and 20th centuries to refer toWhite foreigners | [411] |
| Kolorad | Ukraine | Pro-Russian separatists and Russian invaders | In reference to RussianSt. George ribbon whose coloration resembles the stripes of theColorado beetle. | [412][413] |
| Koyotl | Mexico | Non-indigenous Mexicans and foreigners | ANahuatl term for non-indigenous/Mestizo/White Mexicans, foreigners, or those whose lifestyle is considered urban. The wordkoyotl literally means “coyote,” symbolically associated with cunning, adaptability, and, in some contexts, with a predatory nature. In the modern context ofNahua communities, the term has acquired the meaning of “a person who does not belong to the indigenous community” or “who lives according to non-traditional customs,” especially in contrast to those who preserve the Nahuatl language and local cultural practices. | [414][415][416] |
| Kozojeb | Serbia | Albanians, Bosnians | Derived from local translations of "goat fucker" | [417][418] |
| Krankie | England | Scottish people | [419] | |
| Krakkemut | Denmark | Arabs, Middle Easterns | While originally being used against greenlanders, it is now mostly used against Middle Easterns and Arabs. The word comes from the greenlandic word "Qaqqamut" meaning "to the mountain, up the mountain", however, the danish people began to pick up the word as an aggressive slur, and used it against the greenlanders, and slowly, it became a slur against the more frequent Arab and Middle Eastern immigrants in Denmark. | [420] |
| Kraut | United States, Canada, Commonwealth | German people | Derived fromsauerkraut, used most specifically duringWorld War II. | [421] |
| Kūpapa Māori | New Zealand | Māori people | Term used to describe Māori people who cooperate with or who are subservient to white authority figures (similar to "Uncle Tom"qv). From historical Māori troops who sided with the colonial government in the 19th century. | [422] |
| Kurepi | Paraguay | Argentine people | AGuarani term used in Paraguay to refer to people from Argentina, derived fromkure pire, which means "pigskin." | [423] |
| Kuronbō (黒ん坊) | Japan | Black people | A derogatory that literally means "darkie" or "nigga" inJapanese. The term has been used as a racial slur against black people, particularly during Japan's colonial era. | [424] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labas | Russia | Lithuanian people | Derived from greetings: Latvianlabrīt/labdien/labvakar and Lithuanianlabas rytas/laba diena/labas vakaras, meaning "good morning/day/evening". | [425] |
| Land thief | South Africa | White South Africans | The term implies that white people stole land from black people during the Apartheid era, and are therefore responsible for the current economic and social inequalities in the country. | [401] |
| Landya | India (Maharashtra in specific) | Muslims | Used primarily byMarathi people; the term translates to "small penis", referring tocircumcision. | [426] |
| Laomaozi (老毛子) | China | Russian people | Popularized from Northeastern China | [427] |
| Lapp | Scandinavia | Sámi people | Used mainly by Norwegians and Swedes. The word itself means "patch." "Lapland", considered non-offensive, refers to Sámi territory known as "Sápmi",Finland'snorthernmost county, or theprovince in northernmostSweden. | [428] |
| Lebo, Leb | Australia | ALebanese person, usually aLebanese Australian. | [429] | |
| Leupe lonko | Chile | German people | Used by someHuilliche people ofsouthern Chile. Means "toasted heads" in reference to thefair hair of many Germans. Originated during theGerman colonization of Valdivia, Osorno and Llanquihue in the mid-19th century. | [430] |
| Limey | United States | British people | Comes from the historical British naval practice of giving sailors limes to stave offscurvy. | [431][432] |
| Locust (蝗蟲) | Hong Kong | Mainland Chinese people | [433] | |
| Londo | Indonesia | White people | Commonly used by Javanese people. Derived from "Belanda" (Netherlands). | [434] |
| Lubra | Likely derived from aTasmanian Aboriginal language.[435] | Australian Aboriginal Women | [436] | |
| Lundy | Northern Ireland | Irish People | Aunionist that sympathises theNationalists in Northern Ireland. The name emanates fromRobert Lundy, a formerGovernor of Londonderry during theSiege of Derry in 1688, who is reviled as being a traitor to Protestants and as such, an effigy of him is burned each year. | [437][438] |
| Lugan | Lithuanian people | [439][440] | ||
| Lach / Lyakh (Ukrainian:лях) | Ukraine, Russia | Polish people | Lach is a term that originally referred to a representative of Slav tribes living roughly in what is today eastern Poland and western Ukraine, more commonly known today asLendians, but later became associated with all Polish tribes. In other languages, Lach and derived expressions are neutral. | [441][442] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mabuno / Mahbuno | Zimbabwe | Local European people held in contempt, commonlywhite Africans of European ancestry. | [443] | |
| Macaca | Europe | African people | Originally used byfrancophone colonists in North Africa, also used in Europe against Immigrants from Africa. | [444][445] |
| Macaronar | Romania | Italian people | Roughly means "macaroni eater/maker". | [446] |
| Madrasi | Northern India | South Indian people | Originally used as a demonym to refer to the people of theMadras Presidency, which included most of South India. Nowadays, the term is used mainly as a slur by some North Indian people against South Indians, and refers to a harmful stereotype of all South Indian people. | [447][448][449][450] |
| Majus (مجوس) | Arab world | Persian people | A term meaningZoroastrian,Magi,fire worshipper. | [451][452][453] |
| Maketo | Spain | Non-Basque Spaniards | ABasque word used to describe non-Basque migrants from other parts of Spain who have migrated into theBasque Country, especially those who cannot speak the Basque language. | [454] |
| Malakh-khor (ملخ خور) | Iran | Arab people | Meaning "locust eater," referring to theeating of locusts in Arab cuisine. | [455][456][457][458][459][460] |
| Malau | South Africa | Khoisans andCape Coloureds orColoureds | A derogatoryAfrikaans slang word derived fromXhosa, used to insultcoloured people andKhoisans by suggesting they lack cultural and racial roots and are therefore uncivilized. Its origin can be traced back to the Xhosa word "amalawu" or "ilawu", meaning "Hottentot". | [461] |
| Malaun | Bangladesh | Hindus | "Malaun" is derived from Bengali মালাউন (maalaaun), which in turn was derived from Arabic "ملعون" (mal'un), which means "cursed" or deprived of God's mercy. | [462] |
| Malingsia / Malingsial / Malingsialan | Indonesia | Malaysian people | Used in Indonesia, derived from "maling" (Javanese for "thief") and "Malaysia". It often arises due to perceived instances of Malaysia claiming aspects of Indonesian culture | [463] |
| Malon | Indonesia | Malaysian people | Used as the reply toIndon word. Malon is (mostly) a short for "Malaysia Bloon" (dumb Malaysians). | [464] |
| Mangal / Mango / Mangasar / Mangusta | Bulgaria | Romani people | From Bulgarian"мангал" (mangal) – a type of pot. Some variants are derived from the similar-sounding loanwords"манго" (mango) – mango and"мангуста" (mangusta) – mongoose. | [465][466][467] |
| Manne | Finland | Romani men | Possibly fromSwedishman or from the nameHerman. It refers to Romani men, however can also refer to Romani people generally. | [468] |
| Marokaki (מרוקקי) | Israel | Moroccan Jewish people | Derived from "Maroko" (Hebrew pronunciation for "Morocco") + "Kaki" (which means "shit", "crap" in Hebrew slang). | [469] |
| Maruta (丸太/マルタ) | Japan | Chinese people | Originally a term used byUnit 731 referring to its human test subjects, Nowadays used byNetto-uyoku sometimes. | [470] |
| Mau-Mau | United States | Black people | derived fromKenyans of theKikuyu tribe involved in theMau Mau Rebellion in the 1950s. | [471] |
| Mayate / Mayatero | Black people | Literally the Spanish colloquial name of theFigeater beetle. | [472] | |
| Mayonnaise Monkey | United States | White people | A term commonly used by black people. A person with a "mayonnaise"-like complexion. | [473] |
| Mick | Irish people | [474] | ||
| Milogorac | Serbia | Montenegrins | Deriving fromMilo Đukanović (former president of Montenegro), used to refer to Montenegrin nationalists/Montenegrins who don't identify as Serbs. | [475] |
| Mocro | Dutch | Dutch-Moroccan people | [476] | |
| Mohamedaner | Denmark | Person adherent toIslam | Derived fromMuhammad. | [477] |
| Mof (singular) Moffen (plural) | Dutch | German people | [478] | |
| Momo / Momos | India | Northeast Indians andNepalese | Based onmomos, a dumpling made by northeast Indians, Nepalese and Tibetans. | [125] |
| Monkey | Europe | Usually people of African, Melanesian, or Indigenous Australian descent. | A universal slur, meaning it has the same meaning in different languages. | [479][21][480][481][482] |
| Moskal,Ukrainian:москаль,Polish:moskal,Russian:москаль,German:moskowiter | Ukraine,Belarus,Poland | Russians | Historically a neutral designation for a person fromMuscovy, currently refers toRussians. | [483][484][485][486] |
| Moon Cricket | United States | Black people | The origin is obscure. May refer to slaves singing at night as crickets chirp at dusk. | [487] |
| Mountain Turk | Turkey | Kurdish people | Former Turkish governments denied theKurds their own ethnicity, calling them Mountain Turks (dağ Türkleri). | [488][489] |
| MTN | South Sudan | Dinka people | This is derived from MTN's slogan, “everywhere you go". It was repurposed to suggest that the Dinka were encroaching on other groups’ territory to graze their animals everywhere. | [490] |
| Muklo | Philippines | Filipino Muslims, notably among Bangsamoro ethnic groups | First used by soldiers of theArmed Forces of the Philippines stationed in Mindanao as an ethnic slur towards the MuslimMoro insurgents. | [491] |
| Mulignan / Mulignon / Moolinyan | United States | Black people | Used by Italian-Americans. Deriving from "mulignana" the word foreggplant in someSouth Italian linguistic variants.[492] Also called a mouli. | [493][494][495] |
| Munt | Rhodesia, originally military | Black people, usually men | [496] | |
| Mustalainen | Finland | Romani people | Literally "blackling," "blackie," "the black people", when "romani" is the neutral term. | [497] |
| Maxhup | Kosovo | Romani people | Expression of contempt for someone, usuallyRomani people. | [235] |
| Mzungu | Eastern and Southern Africa,Democratic Republic of the Congo | White people | May be both pejorative and affectionate, depending on usage. | [citation needed] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Namak Haram | Pakistan | Afghans in Pakistan | Derogatory term used forAfghan refugees in Pakistan translating to “traitors”. | [498] |
| Nawar | Levant | Romani people | Arab term forRomani people and other groups sharing an itinerant lifestyle. | [citation needed] |
| Neftenya / Neftegna / Naftenya / Naftegna | Ethiopia/Amharic | Amhara people | Literally means "rifle-bearer", relates to 19th century Ethiopian history. Since 1975, used as inflammatory term byEthiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF, governing party) officials against Amharas; continued inflammatory/derogatory usage in 2020 online media two years after EPRDF loss of political power. | [499][500][501] |
| Němčour, nimchura (німчура), nemchura (немчура) | Slavic languages | German people | [502] | |
| Nere | Bengali Hindus | Muslims | [503] | |
| Niakoué | France | East or Southeast Asian people | A corrupted Vietnamese word with similar to "yokel", "country bumpkin", etc. | [504] |
| Niglet / Negrito | Black children | [505] | ||
| Nig-nog, nog, or Nignog | Commonwealth | Black people | Originally used to refer to a novice – a foolish or naive person – before being associated with black people. | [506][507] |
| Nigger / neeger (Estonian) / neekeri (Finnish) / niger / nig / nigor / nigra / nigre (Caribbean) / nigar / niggur /nigga / niggah / niggar / nigguh / niggress / nigette / negro / neger | International/Worldwide | Black people, especiallyAfrican-Americans | From theSpanish andPortuguese wordnegro ("black"), derived from theLatinniger. The Spanish or Portuguese term, or other such languages deriving the term from it such asFilipino, may vary in itsconnotation per country, where some countries, the connotation may range from either positive, neutral, or negative, depending on context. For example, in Spanish and Portuguese, "negro" may simply refer to the colorblack. AmongSpanish dialects in different countries, it may have either positive or negative connotations, such as describing someone similarly to mydarling or myhoney inArgentina, or describing someone to beangry inSpain. In Portuguese, the term "negro" is often preferred to the more offensivepreto; however, due to the influence of US-American pop culture, the "n-word" can be found in the language as ananglicism, with identical connotations as the English term. | [508] |
| Niggeritis / Negroitis | Caribbean | Black people | To feel sleepy after eating is referred to in and around the Caribbean as having "niggeritis", a direct allusion to the stereotype of laziness of black Africans. | [509] |
| Nip | United States, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom | Japanese people | Someone of Japanese descent (shortened version ofNipponese, from Japanese name for Japan,Nippon). | [510] |
| Nitchie / neche / neechee / neejee / nichi / nichiwa / nidge / nitchee / nitchy | Canada | Native Canadians | A Native American (from theAlgonquian word for "friend"). | [511] |
| Non-Pri, Non-Pribumi | Indonesia | Indonesians of foreign descent, especiallyChinese Indonesians | The term pribumi was coined after Indonesian independence to replace the derogatory Dutch termInlander ("native"). "Non-pribumi," often simply "non-pri," was then used to refer to Indonesians of foreign descent and was generally considered to suggest that they were not full citizens. Use of both "pribumi" and "non-pribumi" by government departments was banned by PresidentB.J. Habibie in 1998 according to Inpres (Instruksi Presiden, lit. Presidential Instruction) No. 26 of 1998, along with instruction to stop discrimination by race in government. | [512] |
| Northern Monkey | United Kingdom | Northern English people | Used in the south of England, relating to the supposed stupidity and lack of sophistication of those in the north of the country. See alsoSouthern Faerie. In some cases, this has been adopted in the north of England, with apub inLeeds even taking the name "The Northern Monkey". | [513][514] |
| Nusayri | Syria and theLevant | Members of theAlawite sect ofShi'a Islam. | Once a common and neutral term derived from the name ofIbn Nusayr, the sect's founder, it fell out of favour within the community in the early decades of the 20th century due to the perception that it implied a heretical separateness from mainstreamIslam. Resurgent in the context of the ongoingSyrian civil war, the term is now often employed by Sunni fundamentalist enemies of the government ofBashar al-Assad, an Alawite, to suggest that the faith is a human invention lacking divine legitimacy. | [515][516] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ofay | African American Vernacular | White people | First recorded in the late 19th century. Origin unknown. Suggestions includeYorubaófé, "to disappear";pig Latin for "foe"; and Frenchau fait, "socially proper". | [517][518] |
| Oláh | Hungarian-speaking territories | Romanian people | Evolved to a pejorative term, originates from the historical designation of Romanians earlier the 19th century. | [519] |
| Orc | Ukraine | Russian soldiers | Orc (Cyrillic: орк,romanised:ork), pluralorcs (Russian andUkrainian:орки,Russian romanisation:orki,Ukrainian:orky), is a pejorative used by Ukrainians[520] to refer to an invadingRussian soldier[521][522] during theRusso-Ukrainian War. It comes from the name ofthe fictional humanoid monsters of the same name fromJ. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novelThe Lord of the Rings. | |
| Oreo | United States | Black people | Used as early as the 1960s. Refers to a black person who is perceived asacting white, and therefore black on the outside and white on the inside like an Oreo cookie. | [523][524][525] |
| Oven Dodger | Jewish people | Implying that one or one's ancestors avoided dying in theHolocaust and so avoid thecrematorium ovens. | [526] | |
| Overner | United Kingdom,Isle of Wight | Mainland United Kingdom Residents | A term used by residents of the Isle of Wight, sometimes pejoratively, to refer to people from the mainland United Kingdom. | [527] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paddy | United Kingdom | Irish people | Derived fromPádraig/Patrick. Often derogatory; however, the sister ofLord Edward FitzGerald, a major leader of theUnited Irishmen of 1798, proclaimed that he was "a Paddy and no more" and that "he desired no other title than this". | [citation needed][528][529] |
| Paddy wagon | Irish people | As a reference to a police van, is seen by Irish people as insulting | [530] | |
| Pajeet, Jeet | Worldwide | Indians, particularlyHindus andSikhs | An invented term forIndian people, particularly adherents ofHinduism andSikhism, allegedly originating on4chan. | [531][532][533][534][535] |
| Pākehā | New Zealand | New Zealanders of non-Māori origin. | ATe Reo Māori term for New Zealanders with no Polynesian ancestry. The origins of the word is unknown, but there are two common interpretations, "light skin" and "pale, imaginary beings resembling men". It is likely pre-colonial Māori believed Europeans were mythical beings fromMāori mythology. The word Pākehā is now commonly used as a word interchangeable with "white" or "European". Language experts and government departments alike do not believe the word has derogatory origins, but some New Zealanders of European decent consider it a derogatory term. | [536][537][538][539][540] |
| Paki, Pakkis | United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Norway | Pakistanis, otherSouth Asians | A contemptuous term for a person from Pakistan or South Asia by birth or descent, especially one living in Britain. | [532][541][542][543] |
| Palagi | Pacific Islands | White people | ASamoan term for a white person, found throughout the Pacific islands. Not usually derogatory unless used in reference to a local to imply they have assimilated into Western culture. | [544] |
| Paleface | Native Americans | White people | [545] | |
| Pancake Face / Pancake | Asian people | [546] | ||
| Panchito | Spain | Latin American people | [547][548] | |
| Papoose | United States, Canada | Native American children | [549] | |
| Paraíba | Brazil | Northeastern Brazilian people | One of the 9 states in theNortheast Region of Brazil. As a slur, it refers generically to any Northeastern person. Used mainly inRio de Janeiro, the term is related to the Northeastern immigration of the second half of the 20th century. | [35] |
| Parsubang / Parsolam | Indonesia (North Sumatra) | Batak people or non-Batak people | Batak Dalle and non-Batak people who refuse to consumepork,canine meat,blood, oralcoholic beverages. All are consideredharam in Islam. Parsolam itself is a wordplay of solam/silom/selam, an old epithet for Islam and Muslims. | [192][550][551] |
| Pastel de flango | Brazil | East Asian people | Used mostly to refer to people ofChinese andJapanese origin.Pastel is Portuguese for any pastry and so is used forwonton in Brazil. Flango iseye dialect of frango (Portuguese for chicken) ridiculing Asian pronunciation. | [552][553][554] |
| Paša | Serbs | Bosniaks | Literally meaningPasha, used by Serbs originated during the Bosnian war to generally mock Bosniak Muslims who wanted keepOttoman titles and place-names. The modern term is used to refer to old Bosniak men who were pictured in wartime cartoons as being "fat as a pasha." | [555] |
| Payo | Spain | Non-Romani people | ACaló term for a person who does not possessRomanipen. It usually refers to non-Romanis in Spain. | [556] |
| Peckerwood | Southern African American people and Upper-class White people | Poor, rural White people | [557][558] | |
| Peenoise | English-speakingSoutheast Asia | Filipinos | Usually used inEnglish or sometimes inFilipino (Tagalog) and otherPhilippine languages.Compound ofpee +noise, likened toPinoy, thecolloquialdiminutivedemonym forFilipinos. The implication makes fun of their high-pitched voice and tendency to scream when speaking online, especially inonline gaming andesports. | [559] |
| Perker | Denmark | Arabs, Middle Eastern | Portmanteau of "perser" (Persian) and "tyrker" (Turk). The use of it is commonly used towards Middle Eastern immigrants | [560][561] |
| Pepper or Pepsi | Canada | French Canadians orQuébécois. | [562][563] | |
| Pickaninny | African American or West Indies child | [564][565] | ||
| Piefke | Austria | Prussians and Germans | [citation needed] | |
| Pikey / Piky / Piker | United Kingdom | Irish Travellers,Romani people, and vagrant lower-class/poor people | 19th century on; derived from "turnpike". | [566] |
| Pindos / Pendos (Russian:Пиндос) | Russia | Americans | Universal disparaging term to refer to all Americans. Related slur terms can refer to the United States ─ such as Pindosiya, Pindostan (Russian:Пиндосия, Пиндостан) and United States of Pindosiya. | [567][568] |
| Pilak | Sabahans | Filipinos | Regional word for "silver" or "money". Particularly targetsimmigrants. | [569][570] |
| Pink pig | South Africa | White people | [401] | |
| Plastic Paddy | Ireland | Estranged Irish People | Someone who knows little ofIrish culture, but asserts their 'Irish' identity. Can refer to foreign nationals who claim Irishness based solely on having Irish relatives. Often used in the same sense as poseur and wannabe. | [571][572] |
| Plouc | France | Bretons | Used to mean Breton immigrants that came to Paris and extended to mean hillbillies. The term comes from the prefix "plou" found in many Breton city names and toponyms. Look upplouc in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. | [573] |
| Pocho / Pocha | Southwest United States, Mexico | Adjective for a person of Mexican heritage who is partially or fully assimilated into United States culture (literally, "diluted, watered down (drink); undersized (clothing)"). See also "Chicano". | [574] | |
| Pocahontas | United States | Native Americans | Refers to a distorted narrative ofPocahontas, a Native American woman, in which the 17th-century daughter of Powhatan who negotiated with the English at Jamestown, married an English colonist and converted to Christianity. | [575][576][577] |
| Polack, Polacke, Polak, Polock | Polish orSlavic people | From the Polishendonym,Polak (seeName of Poland). Note: the proper Swedish demonym for Polish people ispolack, and the Norwegian equivalent ispolakk. | [578][579][580][581] | |
| Polaco | Spain | Catalan people | [582] | |
| Polaca | Brazil | Prostitutes | InBrazilian Portuguese the word (meaning "Polish woman")became synonymous to "prostitute". | [583] |
| Polentone | Italy | Northern Italians | Referring to them as a "polenta eater". | [584] |
| Pom, Pohm,Pommy, Pommie, Pommie Grant | Australia, New Zealand, South Africa | British | Usually non-derogatory, but may be derogatory depending on context. | [585] |
| Porch Monkey | Black people | [586] | ||
| Porridge wog | Scots | [587] | ||
| Portagee | United States | Portuguese people andPortuguese Americans | Slur for Portuguese Americans immigrants. | [588] |
| Potet | Norway | EthnicNorwegians | Means "potato" inNorwegian and is mostly used negatively among non-Western immigrants when talking about or trying to offend ethnic Norwegians. Means "light skin like a potato". | [589] |
| Prairie nigger | Native American | [590] | ||
| Prindapan | Indonesia | Indian people | From the city ofVrindavan, popularized in Indonesia as the setting of the Indian animated showLittle Krishna which aired in Indonesia during the 2010s. | [591][592] |
| Prod | Northern Ireland | Northern Irish Protestants | [593] | |
| Promdi | Philippines | Filipinos from countryside (understood as provinces) who have limited or no knowledge about Metro Manila or other big cities by the time they first arrive | From a pronunciation spelling of English "from the (province)". This term can be offending or stereotypical, as it is often used to make fun of people who first arrive in a big city and wear unfashionable clothes or speak in a rural-like accent, common stereotypes of people coming from the countryside. It is being reclaimed as a symbol of pride. It is often synonymous with the wordprobinsyano/probinsyana. | [594] |
| Pshek | Russian | Polish males | [citation needed] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quashie, Quashi | Caribbean | Black people | Often used on those who were often gullible or unsophisticated. From theWest African nameKwazi, often given to a child born on a Sunday. | [595][596][597][598] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raghead | Arabs, Indian Sikhs, etc. | Derived from those people wearing traditional headdress such asturbans orkeffiyehs. Seetowel head. Sometimes used generically for all Islamic nations. | [599][600] | |
| Ramasamy | British-ruledSouthern Africa | Indians, | Ramasamy is a common name used mostly byTamil people. The racially divided southern Africa was inhabited by a large number ofindentured labourers from India of whomTamils were the majority. | [601][602] |
| Rastus | United States | African Americans | A stereotypical term. | [603] |
| Razakars | Bengali | Akin to the western termJudas. | [604] | |
| Redleg | Barbados | White people | Used to refer to the islands' laborer-class, given how pale skin tends to burn easily. | [605] |
| Redneck | United States | White Americans | Applied toworking-class white people perceived to be crass, unsophisticated, andreactionary; closely associated with rural whites of theSouthern United States. | [606] |
| Redskin | Native Americans | Often used in the names ofsports teams, such as the Washington Redskins, now known as theWashington Commanders. SeeNative American name controversy. | [607] | |
| Remove Kebab | Muslims, usually ofArabian orTurkic descent. | Its origin is aSerbian music video that was recorded in 1993 during the Yugoslav Wars but the phrase has spread globally amongst far-right groups and the alt-right as a meme between 2006 and 2008. Famously Turkish internet users parodied the sentiment of Serbian nationalists online, with a satirical incoherent rant that ended with the phrase "remove kebab" being repeated. Although the meme initially intended to parody racism, this meaning behind the meme was lost once it became common in alt-right discourse. | [390] | |
| Risorse boldriniane | Italy | Maghrebi Arabs | Literally "Boldrini's resources". Used for the first time in 2015 byMatteo Salvini, as a slur for North-African immigrants, who had been unironically called "resources" byLaura Boldrini. | [608] |
| Rockspider, rock | South Africa | Afrikaners | [609] | |
| Rootless cosmopolitan (Russian:безродный космополит) | Russia | Jews | Soviet epithet, originated in the official parlance, as an accusation of lack of full allegiance to theSoviet Union. | [610] |
| Rosuke, Roske | Japanese | Russians | "suke/ske" is a Japanese general-purpose derogatory suffix. | [611][612] |
| Rooinek | South Africa | British people | Slang for aperson of British descent. | [613] |
| Roto | Peru,Bolivia | Chilean people | Used to refer disdainfully. The termroto ("tattered") was first applied to Spanishconquerors in Chile, who were badly dressed and preferred military strength over intellect. | [614] |
| Roundeye | English-speaking Asians | Non-Asians, especially White people | [615] | |
| Russki, ruski (Polish),Ryssä (Finnish) | United States, Europe | Russians | From the Russian word РусскийRusskiy, meaning "Russian". | [616][617] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safavid | Iraq | Feyli Kurds | Mainly used by higher class Sunni Arabs duringBa'athist Iraq to insult Feyli Kurds for their belief inShia Islam. | [618] |
| Sambo | United States | African Americans or black people in general | [619] | |
| Sand nigger, Sandnigger | United States | Arabs or Muslims in general | Mainly used against Muslims due to the desert environment of most Arab countries. Equivalent ofdune coon (above). | [620][621][203] |
| Sangokujin (三国人) | Japan | Korean and Taiwanese people | Originally used to refer the various former colonial subjects of theEmpire of Japan in the aftermath ofWorld War II. | [622] |
| Sarong Party Girl | Singapore | Asian women | Used to ridicule Asian women who exclusively dates, marries, or socializes with White men for ulterior motives (especially for sexual, social status, and monetary purpose). | [623][624][625] |
| Sassenach | Scottish, Gaelic | English people | [626] | |
| Savage | England | Indigenous people, non-Christians | Used to describe a person or people considered primitive/uncivilized. Sometimes a legal term. Targets include indigenous tribes and civilizations in North America, South America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. US examples include 1776 Declaration of Independence ("merciless Indian Savages") and 1901 Supreme CourtDeLima v. Bidwell ruling describing Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines as "savage tribes" | [627][628][629][630] |
| Sawney | England | Scottish people | Archaic term. Local variant ofSandy, short for "Alasdair". | [631] |
| Scandihoovian | Scandinavian people living in the United States | Somewhat pejorative term for people ofScandinavian descent living in the United States, now often embraced by Scandinavian descendants. | [632][633][634][635] | |
| Seppo, Septic | Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom | American people | Cockney rhyming slang (septic), Australian rhyming slang (seppo):Septic tank –Yank. | [636] |
| Schluchtenscheißer | Germany | Austrian people | Translates to somebody defecating in a cave (word-for-word translation:gorge shitter) and alludes to the mountainous landscape of Austria. | [637] |
| Schvartse, Schwartze | Yiddish or German speakers | African people (in the United States) Mizrahi Jews (in Israel) | Literally translates to "black". | [638] |
| Schwartze Khayeh | Ashkenazi Jews | Mizrahi Jews | Literally translates to "black animal". | [639] |
| Shangilla, Shankilla | Ethiopia | Ethiopians from one of the peoples of southwestern Ethiopia | [640] | |
| Sheboon For the river in Belize, seeSibun River. | United States | Black women | [641] | |
| Sheeny / Sheenie | United States | Jewish people | A 19th-century term for an "untrustworthy Jew". | [642] |
| Sheepshagger | Australia, United Kingdom | New Zealanders (in Australia) Welsh people (in the UK) | [643][644] | |
| Shelta | Ireland | Irish Travellers | Derived fromsiúilta, which means "The Walkers" inIrish. | [citation needed] |
| Shiksa (female),Sheigetz (male) | Yiddish speakers | Non-Jewish people | From Yiddishשייגעץ (sheygets) from Hebrew שֶׁקֶץ (shékets), 'abomination'. | [645][646] |
| Shina (支那) | Japan | Chinese people | The Chinese term "Zhina" was orthographically borrowed from the Japanese "shina". Variant form of this term:Shinajin/Zhinaren (支那人) | [647] |
| Zhina (支那) | Taiwan, Hong Kong | |||
| Shine | United States | Black people | Derived fromshoeshiner, a lowly job many black people had to take. | [648] |
| Shitskin / Shitlip | North America, United Kingdom | Muslims, Black people | A racial and religious slur hurled at Muslims and other black people as well, for their extremely dark, "shit-colored" skin complexions | [649] |
| Shiptar | Former Yugoslavia | Albanian people | From misspelledAlbanianendonym "Shqiptar". | [650] |
| Shka i Velikës | Gheg Albanians | Montenegrins fromVelika | Derogatory terms forMontenegrins named after the placeVelika inMontenegro. | [235] |
| Shkije | Gheg Albanians | South Slavs, in particularSerbs,Macedonians,Montenegrins,Bosniaks | Derived from theLatin word "Sclavus" or from theVenetian word "Schiavone", which meansSlav. | [651] |
| Shkinulkë | Gheg Albanians | South Slavs, in particularSerbs,Macedonians,Montenegrins,Bosniaks | Same asShkije but targeted towards women. | [235] |
| Shkutor Croatian: Škutor | Croatia | West-Herzegovinan Croatian people | Primarily used to refer to ethnic Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to majority of Croats who are not natives of the modern-day Croatia (i.e.Croats of Hungary, Croats of Vojvodina etc.). | [652][653] |
| Shoneen | Ireland | Irish People | Irish Person who imitates English Customs. It means "Little John" in Irish language, referring toJohn Bull, a national personification of the British Empire in general and more specifically of England. | [654][655] |
| Shumo | Guatemala | Indigenous Guatemalans | [656] | |
| Shylock / Shyster | Jewish people perceived as greedy or usurious | From the antagonistic character ofShylock, a Jewish money-lender, in William Shakespeare's playThe Merchant of Venice. | [657] | |
| Sí-a-la̍k (死阿陸) | Taiwan | Chinese people | Literally means "damned mainlanders". The homophonic numerical form of this phrase (426) is also frequently used. | [658] |
| Siamtue(Thai:เซียมตือ,Min Nan Chinese:暹豬) | Bangkoker (Thai Chinese) | Central Thai people (usually includeMons) | Literally Siamese pig; "low and vile like pigs, easy to fatten and slaughter, easy money"; mostly refers to Central Thais who migrated to Bangkok. | [659][failed verification] |
| Sideways vagina/pussy/cooter | Asian women, particularly Chinese women. | [660] | ||
| Skinny | United States | Somali people | A term most commonly used for Somali militia fighters. | [661] |
| Skopianoi | Greece | Ethnic Macedonians | Derived fromSkopje, the capital city of North Macedonia. | [662][663] |
| Skip, Skippy | Australia | An Australian, especially one of British descent | Derived from the children's television seriesSkippy the Bush Kangaroo. | [664] |
| Skævøjet | Denmark | East Asian people | Skævøjet, literally meaning "with crooked eyes", is a reference to their appearance. | [665] |
| Slant, slant–eye | East Asian people | In reference to the appearance of the eyes. | [666] | |
| Slobo | Finland | Russians or Slavs | From theSlavic wordsloboda ("freedom") through some means, probably through some form ofRussian слобода́ (slobodá). | [667] |
| Slope, slopehead, slopy, slopey, sloper | Australia, United Kingdom, and United States | Asian people (especially Vietnamese in Australia; especially Chinese in America) | Also slant, slant-eye. | [668][669][670] |
| Snowflake | United States | White people | Mostly used in this context in the 19th and 20th centuries. | [671] |
| Smoked Irish / Smoked Irishman | United States | Black people | A 19th-century term intended to insult both blacks and Irish but used primarily for black people. | [595] |
| Somdeang (โสมแดง) | Thailand | North Koreans | Literally "red ginseng" (see alsoSomkhao). | [672][673][failed verification] |
| Somkhao (โสมขาว) | Thailand | South Koreans | Literally "white ginseng" (see alsoSomdeang). | [673][failed verification] |
| Soosmar-khor: (سوسمار خور) | Persia | Arabian people | Persian for "lizard eater," referring to theeating of lizards in Arab cuisine. | [674][675][676] |
| Sooty | United States | Black people | Originated in the 1950s. | [677] |
| Southern Faerie, Southern Fairy | United Kingdom | Southern English people | Used in theNorth of England to refer to someone from the South, alluding to their supposed mollycoddled ways. (see alsoNorthern Monkey.) | [678] |
| Soutpiel | South Africa | WhiteEnglish speakers | AnAfrikaans term abbreviated as "Soutie" and translates as "Salt-penis," it derives from the Boer Wars where it was said that British soldiers had one foot in the United Kingdom, one foot in South Africa, and their penis dangled in the Atlantic Ocean (filled withsaltwater). | [679] |
| Spade | Black people | Recorded since 1928 (OED), from theplaying cards suit. | [680] | |
| Spearchucker | African Americans or people of African descent in general | Derived from the idea that people of African descent were primitive. | [681] | |
| Spic, spick, spik, spig, or spigotty | United States | Hispanic people | First recorded use in 1915. Believed to be a play on a Spanish-accented pronunciation of the English wordspeak. May apply to Spanish speakers in general and originally applied to Italians and Italian immigrants as well. | [682][683][684][685][686] |
| Spook | Black people | Attested from the 1940s. | [687][688] | |
| Squarehead | Nordic people, such asScandinavians orGermans. | Refers to either the stereotyped shape of their heads, or to the shape of theStahlhelm M1916 steel helmet, or to its owner's stubbornness (like a block of wood). | [689] | |
| Squaw | United States and Canada | Native American women | Derived from lower East Coast Algonquian (Massachusett:ussqua), which originally meant "young woman". | [690][691] |
| Sudaca | Spain, Mexico | Latin American people | In spite of its etymology (sudamericano, "South American"), is a derogative term used in Spain for all Latin Americans, South American or Central American in origin. In Mexico, the term is solely used to refer to people from South America. | [692] |
| Svartskalle | Sweden | People with dark hair or dark skin | [693] | |
| Svenne / Svenne banan | Sweden | Swedish people | A slang form of the word "svensk" which means swede inSwedish, and is mostly used negatively among non-Western immigrants when talking about or trying to offend ethnic Swedes. | [694] |
| Swamp Guinea | Italian people | [695] | ||
| Szkop,skopčák | Poland, Czech Republic | German people | The Polish term was particularly often used forWehrmacht soldiers duringWorld War II. | [696] |
| Szmatogłowy | Poland | Middle Eastern people, Arabs | Polish translation of "Raghead". | [697] |
| Szwab | Poland | German people | Derived fromSwabia. See also: Fritz. | [698] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taffy or Taff | United Kingdom | Welsh people | Originating as a corruption of the nameDafydd (Welsh pronunciation:[ˈdavɨð])Davy orDavid, and equivalent of other historic English pejorativesPaddy andJock. Known since at least the 17th century when life-sized effigies of Welshmen were symbolically lynched in London, and the 18th-century custom of baking "taffies",gingerbread figures made in the shape of a skewered Welshman. | [699][700][701][702] |
| Taig (also Teague, Teg and Teig) | United Kingdom (primarily Northern Ireland) | Irish nationalists | Used byloyalists inNorthern Ireland for members of thenationalist/Catholic/Gaelic community. Derived from the Irish name Tadhg, often mistransliterated as Timothy. | [703][704] |
| Tai Ke | Taiwan | Taiwanese people of lower socio-economic status | Literally means "Taiwan person". Nowreclaimed. | [705] |
| Tanka | China | Tanka people | A name for a distinct ethnic group traditionally living in boats off the shore ofSouth China. Originally descriptive ("Tan"/"Tang" is a Cantonese term for boat or junk and "ka" means family or peoples,Chinese:蜑家;Cantonese Yale:Daahn gā / Dahng gā), the termTanka is now considered derogatory and no longer in common use. The people concerned prefer to call themselves by other names, such as 'Nam Hoi Yan' (Chinese:南海人;Cantonese Yale:Nàamhóiyàn;lit. 'People of The Southern Sea') or 'Sui Seung Yan' (Chinese:水上人;pinyin:shuǐshàng rén;Cantonese Yale:Séuiseuhngyàn;lit. 'People Born on The Waters'), and other more polite terms. | [706][707][708][709][710][711][712][713][714] |
| Tar-Baby | United States | Black children | Also used to refer without regard to race to a situation from which it is difficult to extricate oneself. Seetar baby. | [715] |
| Tàu | Vietnam | Chinese people | Variant form of "Tàu khựa" | [716][400] |
| Teabag | South Africa | Black andCape Coloured orColoured individuals who have a light skin | [401] | |
| Teapot | Black people | Originates from the 19th century. | [717][595] | |
| Terrone | Italy | Southern Italian people | [718][719] | |
| Teuchter | Southern Scotland | Northern Scottish people | Used to refer to somebody from the north of Scotland or rural Scottish areas. | [720] |
| Thambi, thambiya (Sinhala:තම්බියා) | Sri Lanka | Muslims, especiallySri Lankan Moors | From the Tamil wordதம்பி (tambi) meaning "younger brother." The anglicization "Tamby" was used to refer to Moors in British Ceylon at the turn of the 20th century. | [300] |
| Thicklips | United Kingdom | Black people | [595] | |
| Tibla | Estonia | Russian or Soviet people | In widespread use by theEstonian War of Independence, this word was forbidden under theSoviet occupation of Estonia. It may be a shortened corruption of Vitebski, workers from theVitebsk Governorate duringWorld War I who were seen as dumb. It may also come from theRussian profane addressing "ty, blyad," "ты, блядь" ("you bitch", and the like [a]) or, truncated, "ty, blya," "ты, бля. | [721][722] |
| Tiko | Indonesia | Native Indonesian people | Tiko stands forTikus kotor (Dirty rat). It may also derive from Hokkien猪哥 (ti-ko), which means "brother of a pig", referring to their majority Muslim heritage. | [723] |
| Timber nigger | Native Americans | Refers to the Native Americans on the East coast living in areas that were heavily forested. | [724] | |
| Timur | Syrian people fromDamascus | Refers to the children born of the mass rapes that the Turco-Mongol Tatar soldiers of Timur committed against the Syrian women of Damascus in theSiege of Damascus (1400). | [725] | |
| Ting tong | United Kingdom | Chinese people or East Asians. | [726] | |
| Tinker / tynekere / tinkere / tynkere, -are / tynker / tenker / tinkar / tyncar / tinkard / tynkard / tincker | Britain and Ireland | Lower-class people | An inconsequential person (typically lower-class) (note that in Britain, the term "Irish Tinker" may be used, giving it the same meaning as example as directly below). | [citation needed] |
| Scotland and Ireland | Romani people | Origin unknown – possibly relating to one of the "traditional" occupations of Romanis as traveling "tinkerers" or repairers of common household objects. | [727] | |
| Scotland | Native Scottish people | A member of the native community; previously itinerant (but mainly now settled); who were reputed for their production of domestic implements from basic materials and for repair of the same items, being also known in the past as "travelling tinsmiths", possibly derived from a reputation for rowdy and alcoholic recreation. Often confused with Romani people. | [citation needed] | |
| Toad | United States | Black people | Prison slang. | [728] |
| Toku-A | Japan | Chinese and Korean people | Literally means "specific Asia", A term used bynetto-uyoku referring to the only specific part of Asia with strongAnti-Japanese sentiment in their countries (China andNorth/South Korea). | [729] |
| Tonto | United States | Native Americans | Native American character in the American television and radio programsThe Lone Ranger. Spanish for "Idiot". | [730][392] |
| Touch of the tar brush | Commonwealth | White people with suspected non-white ancestry | Phrase for a person of predominantly European ancestry with real or suspected African or Asian distant ancestry. | [when defined as?][731] |
| Towel head | Turban wearers | Often refers specifically to Sikhs, or Arabs and Muslims—based on the traditionalkeffiyeh headdress. However, in British English, the term is only used to refer to Arabs. Americans use the term 'rag-head' to apply to wearers of turbans as well, because the cloth that makes a turban could be described as a rag, but in British English the term towel-head solely refers to Arabs because the traditional, Middle Easternkeffiyeh, such as the red and white Saudi one or the black and whitePalestinian keffiyeh worn by Yasser Arrafat, resemble the most common styles of British tea-towels – dishcloth in American – while Sikh turbans do not. | [732][733][734][735] | |
| Tumba-Yumba (Russian:тумба-юмба) | Post-Soviet countries | Africans and by extension any culture perceived as uncivilized | From "Mumbo-Jumbo" (Russian:Мумбо-Юмбо). | [736][737][738] |
| Tourk-alvanos (Greek:Τουρκαλβανοσ, "Turco-Albanian") | Greece | Muslim Albanians | Ethnographic, religious, and derogatory term used by Greeks for Muslim Albanians. | [739] |
| Turco | Brazil,Chile | Syrians,Palestinians,Lebanese,Jews,Armenians | Meaning "Turk" in Portuguese and Spanish. The term originated in the late 19th century to refer those who came to Brazil, Argentina and Chile from theOttoman Empire. Since Jews (bothSephardic andAshkenazi) frequently occupied the same roles aspeddlers as Syrians and Lebanese (who were the majority of those with Ottoman passports in Brazil), they were also called "turcos" in Brazil. Ironically, there was no relevant immigration of ethnicTurks to Brazil. | [740][741][742] |
| Turčin, Poturčin | Serbs | Bosniaks | In reference to the supposed ambiguity of Bosniaks and their ethnic origins; referring to their acceptance of the Muslim faith as them becoming "Turkified" or "Poturčin" | [743] |
| Turk | South Wales | Llanelli residents | The origin of this term is uncertain; some theories suggest it due to Llanelli's popularity with Turkish sailors in the late 19th to early 20th century or possibly when Turkish migrants heading for the United States stopped in Llanelli and decided to settle due to there being jobs available. However, most likely it's due to the fact that during World War One there was a trade embargo in place during Gallipoli, but Llanelli continued to trade tin with the Turkish; this led to people from neighbouringSwansea and other surrounding areas referring to them as Turks. | [744] |
| Turkentrekker | The Netherlands | Turkish people | A combination of the word "Turk" and "kurkentrekker" (corkscrew). | [745] |
| Turko | Sephardic Jews | Ashkenazi Jews | Ladino word meaning "Turk". The exact history of the term is uncertain, but possibly refers to theKhazar hypothesis of Ashkenazi ancestry. | [746] |
| Twinkie: Not to be confused withTwink (gay slang). | United States | European Americans,Asian Americans | European Americans with few or no social or genealogical links to an indigenous tribe, who claims to beNative American, particularly aNew Age practitioner purporting to be a spiritual leader, healer, ormedicine man/woman (see alsoPlastic shaman). Also anAsian American who has become assimilated intomainstream American culture (SeeBanana, Coconut, and Twinkie).[42] | [747][748][749] |
| Type C | Malaysia | Chinese people | Type C was another name forUSB-C before being used as a slur referring toChinese people, its proclaimed meaning is 'Type Chinese'. | [750][751] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukro-Nazi, Ukronazi, Ukrofascist | Russia | Ukrainians | Label used to link self-identifying Ukrainians during theRusso-Ukrainian War to Nazism, evoke Soviet victory in WWII, and justify Russian atrocities in Ukraine.Russian:укро-нацист,romanized: ukro-natsist,[752][753]укро-фашист,ukro-fashist. | [754][755][756] |
| Ukrop | Russians | Ukrainians | A disparaging term which means "dill" in Russian, itself derived from "Ukrainian" ↔Ukrop. | [757][412] |
| Uncle Tom | United States | Black people | Refers to black people perceived as behaving in a subservient manner to white authority figures. In South Africa, the term "Uncle Tom" has been used as a derogatory slur againstcoloreds who were perceived as collaborating with the apartheid regime or being subservient to white people. In South Africa, the use of the term "Uncle Tom" by black people againstcoloureds or vice versa is considered racist and discriminatory according to the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act. | [758][759] |
| Unta | Indonesia | Arab Indonesians | Meaning "Camel". | [760] |
| UPAina / UPAińcy / UPAiniec, UPAinka | Poland | Ukrainians | Portmanteau word Ukraine + UPA (Ukrayins'ka Povstans'ka Armiia) responsible forVolhynia genocide. | [761][762] |
| Uppity | Black people | Refers to black people who are perceived as being insolent. | [290][763] | |
| Ustaša (also spelled Ustaše, plural: Ustaši; anglicized as Ustasha, Ustashe, or Ustashi) | Serbia, and (to a lesser extent) Bosnia, Montenegro, Slovenia | Croatians | Became a derogatory slur used primarily bySerbian nationalists in reference to theIndependent State of Croatia and thefascistUstaša movement duringWorld War II in Yugoslavia. In contemporary Serbia, both politicians and media outlets have used the slur "Ustaše" to negatively refer to Croatia as being a fascist nation, or to the Croatian people as being inherently evil. | [764][765][766] |
| Uzkoglazyj | Russia | Asian people, in particular East and Central Asians. | Narrow-eyed | [767] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanja | Finland | Russian people | Synonym ofryssä, referring to Russians orSlavs broadly. | [768] |
| Veneco | South America | Venezuelans | [769] | |
| Vrindavan, Prindapan | Indonesia | Indian people | Indonesian version ofpajeet. Originated fromLittle Krishna animated series. | [770] |
| Vuzvuz | Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews | Ashkenazi Jews | Onomatopoeia of the Yiddish word for "What", whichJudaeo-Spanish speaking Sephardi Jews andJudaeo-Arabic speaking Mizrahi Jews did not understand. | [771] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waach | Mexico | Non-Yucatec Mexicans | AYucatec Maya word used by the inhabitants of theYucatán Peninsula to refer to non-Yucatec Mexicans, specially migrants who come from other parts of the country. | [772][773] |
| Wagon burner | Native American people | A reference to when Native American tribes would attackwagon trains during thewars in the eastern American frontier. | [774] | |
| Wasi'chu, Wasichu | Lakota people, Dakota people | Non-Native white people | Word for a non-Native white person, meaning "the one who takes the best meat for himself". | [775] |
| West Brit | Ireland | Irish people | Directed at Irish people perceived as being insufficiently Irish or tooAnglophilic. | [776][777] |
| Wetback | United States | Undocumented immigrants (of mostly Hispanic descent) | Refers to undocumented immigrants residing in the United States. Originally applied specifically to undocumentedMexican migrant workers who had crossed the United States border via theRio Grande river to find work in the United States, the word's meaning has since broadened to any undocumented person who enters the United States via the southern border. | [778] |
| White ape, White chimpanzee | Britain, United States | Irish people | Irish people were often portrayed as apes in cartoon and newspaper illustrations and also in conversation, most notably byCharles Kingsley who referred to the Irish as "White chimpanzees" after his stay inCounty Sligo | [779][780] |
| White ears | Nauru | White people | [781] | |
| White interloper | White people | Refers to a white person who becomes involved in a place or situation where they are not wanted or are considered not to belong. | [782] | |
| White nigger, Nigger wop | United States | Southern Italians | From the 1800s, inferring such Italians were not "white" enough to be allowed citizenship. | [783][784] |
| White trash | United States | Poor white people | Common usage from the 1830s by black house slaves against white servants. | [785] |
| Whitexican | Mexico | White Mexicans | A pejorative term used in Mexico to refer towhite-skinned Mexicans who usually have social and economic advantages, and who allegedly "are not aware of the prevailing system of inequalities in Mexico and believe that all Mexican citizens have the same opportunities." | [786] |
| Whitey | White people | [787] | ||
| Wigger / Whigger / Wigga / Whigga (meaning white nigger) | United States | Irish people | Used in 19th-century United States to refer to the Irish. Sometimes used today in reference to white people in a manner similar towhite trash orredneck. Also refers to white youth that imitate urban black youth by means of clothing style, mannerisms, and slang speech. Also used by radicalQuébécois in self-reference, as in the seminal 1968 bookWhite Niggers of America. | [788] |
| Wog | Commonwealth | Dark-skinned foreigners | Any swarthy or dark-skinned foreigner. Possibly derived from "golliwogg." InWestern nations, it usually refers to dark-skinned people from Asia or Africa, though some use the term to refer to anyone outside the borders of their own country. | [789] |
| Australia | Southern Europeans, Mediterraneans | Usually used to refer to Southern Europeans and Mediterraneans (Italians, Croatians, Greeks, Albanians, Maltese, Macedonians, Turks, Lebanese). It has becomereappropriated by the cultures that it is commonly used to describe, but may be considered by some as controversial. | [790] | |
| Wop | United States, Canada, United Kingdom | Italian people | Derived from the Italian dialectism, "guappo", close to "dude, swaggerer" and other informal appellations, a greeting among male Neapolitans. | [791][792] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xarnego / Xarnec | Spain | Non-Catalan Spaniards | ACatalan term with a meaning that has varied over time, from the son of a Catalan person and a non-Catalan, especially a French one, to a Spanish-speaking person living inCatalonia, a Spanish-speaking immigrant in Catalonia or a person whose language is Spanish and who has not linguistically adapted to Catalan. | [793][794] |
| Xiǎo Rìběn | China | Japanese people | Literally translated, it means "little Japan". It is often used with "guizi" or ghost/devil, such as "xiao Riben guizi", or "little Japanese devil". | [citation needed] |
| Xing Ling | Brazil | Chinese people | Chinese products or low-quality products in general. Sometimes used to refer to Chinese people as well. Etymologically, this term is said to be derived fromMandarin 星零 xing ling ("zero stars"). | [795] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yam yam | United Kingdom | Black Country residents | Term used by people fromBirmingham. | [796] |
| Yanacona | Chile | Mapuche people | Term used by modernMapuche as an insult for Mapuches considered to be subservient to non-indigenous Chileans, "sellout." Use of the word "yanacona" to describe people have led legal action in Chile. | [797] |
| Yank | Australia, United Kingdom | Americans | A contraction of "Yankee" below, first recorded in 1778 and employed internationally by speakers ofBritish English in informal reference to allAmericans generally. | [798] |
| Yankee | Dutch speakers | Americans | Possibly fromJanke ("Johnny") or a dialectical variant ofJan Kaas ("John Cheese"). First applied by the Dutch colonists ofNew Amsterdam toConnecticuters and then to other residents ofNew England, "Yankee" remains in use in theAmerican South in reference toNortherners, often in a mildly pejorative sense. Outside the US, especially in Spain and South America, used to describe all citizens of the US, regardless of which part of the US they come from. | [798] |
| Yaposhka | Russia | Japanese people | Derived from "yaponets" (Cyrillic:японец) | [799][800] |
| Yellow | Asian people | An East or southeast Asian person, in reference to those who have a yellowish skin color. | [801] | |
| Mixed Ethnic people | Anyone of mixed heritage, especiallyblack orwhite people; a light-skinned black person, or a dark-skinned white person. | [801] | ||
| Yellow bone /High yellow | United States | A light-skin black person Equivalent ofyellow (above). | [401] | |
| Yid | Jewish people | Derived from its use as an endonym among Yiddish-speaking Jews. In the United Kingdom, "yid" is also used to refer to supporters of theTottenham Hotspur football club, whose fans refer to themselves and players as "yids" (or the derivative form "yiddo"), regardless of whether or not they are Jewish, as part of a reclamation attempt centered around the club's significant historic Jewish following. The latter sense is common and well-established enough to be found under the word'sOxford English Dictionary entry, though its use has become controversial and a matter of debate in the 21st century, with opinions from both Jews and non-Jews, Tottenham fans and non-fans, running the gamut. | [802][803] | |
| Yuon | Cambodia | Vietnamese people | TheKhmer word "yuon" or "youn" (yuôn) យួន /juən/ comes from the Chinese 越, in modern times pronounced "Yue". The same character is the root of the "Viet" in "Vietnam". During theKhmer Rouge era, a folk etymology was pushed that placed the term yuon as being descended from the Sanskrit "Yavana", which initially referred to theIonians but later referred to Greeks in general and later foreigners. The folk etymology was used to push the narrative thatKhmer andKinh people have always been enemies. | [804][805][806][807] |
| Term | Location or origin | Targets | Meaning, origin and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zanj,Zang, Zenj, Zinj, and Zang | Persian and Arabic | Black people | Zanj Rebellion | [808] |
| Zip / Zipperhead | United States | Asian people | Used by American military personnel during theKorean War andVietnam War. Also used in the filmsApocalypse Now (1979),Platoon (1986),Full Metal Jacket (1987),Romeo Must Die (2000),Gran Torino (2008), andPremium Rush (2012). | [809][810][811] |
| Zuca / Brazuca | Portugal | Brazilians | Short for Brazuca, derived from "Brasil", used by Portuguese people to refer to Brazilians living in Portugal. | [812][813] |
| Zhyd, zhid, zhydovka, zhidovka | East Slavic language speakers | Jewish people | Originally neutral (as in other Slavic languages), but became pejorative as debate over theJewish question and theantisemitism in the Russian Empire intensified in the end of the 19th century. While still in official use during theUkrainian War of Independence and the short-livedBelarusian Democratic Republic, its use was banned by the Soviet authorities, which had previously been campaigning against its usage, in the 1930s. The usage of the word "żyd" in Polish depends on capitalisation and grammatical form: upper-caseŻyd is neutral and denotesJews in general or Jews as a nationality; the lower-case form (żyd, plural: żydzi) denotes a follower ofJudaism; both are neutral. Related terms are considered offensive: alternative plural "żydy" or diminutive "żydek" (plural: żydki). | [814][815] |
[Translated Electronically] Not surprisingly, Chinese Americans who do not speak Chinese may be told that they are 'not really Chinese'. This message is found in the term ABC which stands for 'American-born Chinese'. It implies that the native-born who cannot speak Chinese has either rejected or lost his Chinese heritage. Yet many native-born Chinese Americans cheerfully use for themselves.
The OUN-B organized a militia, which both collaborated with the Germans and killed Jews independently....Because the term "Banderites" was colloquial rather than official, and because of the violence employed by OUN-B, the term soon acquired a negative connotation, especially among Jews and Poles. (page 159)...The survivors of these attacks frequently described the perpetrators as "Banderites" and considered them to be Ukrainian nationalists.(page 241)...Two years later however, the word "Banderites" was known to everyone in western Ukraine and was frequently used to describe the OUN-B activists, UPA partisans, and apparently, other Ukrainian perpetrators (page 248)...The term "Banderites" had appeared in Soviet secret documents for the first time in late 1940 ... (page 249)
The common noun "Banderivtsi" ("Banderites") emerged around this time, and it was used to designate all Ukrainian nationalists, but also, on occasion, western Ukrainians or even any person who spoke Ukrainian. Even today, the term "Banderivtsi" in public debate is never neutral — it can be used pejoratively or proudly.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)whenever English speakers objected to living in a racial zoo designed to protect the mythical purity of Afrikaner nationalists, they were accused by their masters of giving way to Boerehaat (hatred of the Boers)
Someone who hates Afrikaners and tries to harm or prejudice them
aBoerehater, someone who hated Afrikaners
lingering racial stereotypes and derogatory terms (chilote) hindered full assimilation
Court awards NIS 71,000 in compensation to Awaka Yosef, whose employer cut his salary and called him 'kushi'
Frenk [a pejorative slang term for Mizrahi]
the common derogatory name Russians call Latvians isgansi, (from the name Hans)
Krievu bērni latviešus saUnited Kingdomāja par gansiem jeb hansiem – tātad vāciešiem.
There is nothing inherently insulting about the word 'goy.' In fact, the Torah occasionally refers to the Jewish people using the term 'goy.' Most notably, in Exodus 19:6, G-d [sic] says that the Children of Israel will be 'a kingdom of priests and a holy nation', that is, a goy kadosh. Because Jews have had so many bad experiences with anti-Semitic non-Jews over the centuries, the term 'goy' has taken on some negative connotations, but in general the term is no more insulting than the word 'gentile.'
The word goy means literally "nation", but has come to mean "Gentile", sometimes with a derogatory connotation.
The word being used for Hispanic American footballers in Brazil.
The word being used for Hispanic American footballers in Brazil.
The word being used by a fan as a synonym of foreigner in the Brazilian Championship.
The word being used for European and Latin American tourists in Brazil.
Black immigrants from Cameroon play the "Copa Gringos" in Brazil.
The word being used for an italian-brazilian politician.
The average Pennsylvanian contemptuously refers to the immigrants as "Hikes" and "Hunks." The "Hikes" are Italians and Sicilians. "Hunks" is a corruption for Huns, but under this title the Pennsylvanian includes Hungarians, Lithuanians, Slavs, Poles, Magyars and Tyroleans.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)แกว คือคำว่าแกว ๆ มีความหมายถึงเสียงดังแซดแต่ไม่ได้ศัพท์ ซึ่งจิตร ภูมิศักดิ์มองว่าน่าจะเป็นการล้อเลียนเสียงพูดในภาษาเวียดนามที่มีเสียงสูงต่ำตัดกันชัดเจนกว่าภาษาไทย-ลาว นอกจากนี้ยังมีคำลาวในวรรณคดีเรื่องท้าวฮุ่งเรียกชาวเวียดนามอย่างเหยียดหยามว่า แย้, แกวแย้ และแกวม้อย
'kanglu ra' (kanglu ra:Bangladeshis), etc... [pg 4], it is difficult for an annotator to distinguish which class some of the words in a hate speech, such as 'kanglu' (Bangladeshi)... [pg 9]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)khokhol.
It is notable that the status of the Sami people and minority groups in Sweden was neglected for a long time. In the framework of the multiculturalist policy in the mid-1970s the Swedish government recognised the Sami as indigenous in 1977.
And like, I guess it's just a newer sort of theme that I've been seeing in this, like, recent wave of online hate towards South Asians. Another thing that I've been seeing is, I guess they have a new slur for us. Uh, 'Pajeets'? RUMNEEK JOHAL: Yeah. 'Jeet' or 'Pajeet.' Um. This, this kind of originated to make fun of Indian names -- which often have suffixes, '-jeet' being one of them -- but it then became, like, this trope of a quintessential Indian man. And again, like you said, some of these AI images or memes paint, paint them as very sinister, very scary looking, very unclean, very dirty. Often I've seen, even on social media, of saying the 'Jeets' or the 'Pajeets' need to go home. Or in, in a more horrible scenario I've seen even, you know, a news article be posted where a South Asian or Sikh man has died in a car crash or something. And the replies on social media are horrible. And we see, again, almost just a vocal and visible, bold celebration of this. And again, this deployment of the term 'Jeets' and 'Pajeets.'
"Pajeet" is also used, referring to a derogatory made-up Indian name originating on 4chan in 2015, along with several other similar, though sometimes lesser known, racist terms. Plenty of commenters resented "pajeet immigrants," described as "barely literate third worlder[s]," for "replac[ing]" striking workers in the tech industry. One Canadian user on the /pol/ board claimed the "jeet situation" in Canada was bad, and that they planned to "leave this dump" because of South Asian immigrants. Gab, a "free speech" platform with a similar interface to Twitter, saw hate speech against South Asians rise from 197 posts in January 2023 to 691 the next year, representing a staggering 251 percent increase. Comments include calling South Asians "pajeet chimps" and "paki scum" while leaning into derogatory stereotypes such as saying "pajeet still smell."
Pajeet: An ethno-religious slur referring to Indians, and more specifically Hindus.
Pajeet is a racist slur in the West to mock Sikhs who often have names ending with "jeet"
First seen on 4Chan, The term "pajeet" is an ethnic slur, coined as a derisive imitation of Indian names. Typically, pajeet is used to describe Indians on the Internet — and, by default — Hindus. John Earnest, the white supremacist shooter of the Chabad Synagogue in San Diego, 2019, had referenced "pajeets" in this manifesto. This slur has also been used by white supremacists in white nationalist podcasts in reference to violent, murderous fantasies about Indians.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Ramasamy [a pejorative term for an Indian] in or near town is all very well as a grower or purveyor
FAST-US-7 (TRENAK 15) Introduction to American English. Reference File, 04-16-2007
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)the termsSkopia andSkopians, derived from the name of that country's capital and principal city, Skopje, have been employed in a demeaning and derogatory manner to refer to the FYROM, its government, and its population.
[...] the seemingly neutral but hardly non-derisiveSkopianoi.
In Belfast, Joblessness And a Poisonous Mood
On Belfast's Walls, Hatred Rules
shii leung (shu lang) shii miu (shu miao) shui fan (shui fen) shui kwa (shui kua) sui seung yan (shui shang jen) Shui Sin (Shui Hsien) shuk in (shu yen) ShunTe Sian Sin Ku (Hsien Ku) sin t'it (hsien t'ieh) Sin Yan (Hsien Jen) sing
The Tanka are boat dwellers who very seldom settle ashore. They themselves do not much use this name, which they consider derogatory, but usually call themselves 'Nam Hoi Yan (people of the southern sea) or 'Sui Seung Yan
The Tanka are among the earliest of the region's inhabitants. They call themselves 'Sui Seung Yan', signifying 'those born on the waters'; for they have been a population afloat as far back as men can remember—their craft jostle each other most closely in the fishing port
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)The Tanka dislike the name and prefer 'Sui seung yan', which means 'people who live on the water'.
người Annam thấy tàu khách qua lại nhiều, lấy đó mà gọi là nước Tàu, người Tàu.
On the contrary, the Japanese place a special attention to China, South Korea, and also North Korea. Parallel to the term "Tokutei Asia (specific-Asia)" on the Internet bulletin board systems, the majority of Japanese may regard these three countries as different from other Asian countries.
The usual Native name for New Age fakers isTwinkie.
It's little wonder that Indians are closed-mouthed about their spirituality. Non-Indians claiming to be 'spiritual leaders,' 'healers,' and 'medicine men and women' abound in this country, and these 'crystal twinkies' (as a former Hopi student likes to call them) make a pretty decent living at deceiving the public.[page needed]
A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language
Wasichu" is the Lakota term for non-Indian white person, but it also means "the one who takes the best meat for himself.
zips in the wire vietnam war.
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