List of ethnic slurs
The following is a list of ethnic slurs that are, or have been, used to refer to members of a given ethnicity (or, in some cases, nationality or religion) in a derogatory or pejorative manner. The term is listed, followed by its primary user(s) and a definition.Not all terms on the list are considered equally offensive. Many of these terms are used more widely than would be imagined based on their "definition", for example, Chink can be used to refer to any Asian person. The key here is that the person using the slur cares so little about the target, that the person's actual background is irrelevant. The motivation for using an ethnic slur is often racism.
See also: Term of disparagement
- 51st Stater - Canadians, according to some from the United States
- Abba-Dabba - from the film Betrayed, referring to Arabs and the United Arab Emirates city of Abu Dhabi
- Abo - Australia, Australian aboriginal
- Adolf - Germans, referring to Adolf Hitler
- African queen - U.K., a black homosexual
- Ahab - whites, from Moby Dick
- Ainu - Japanese people, originally referring to a valid minority (the Ainu) of Japan, now sometimes used as a derogatory term for any Asian, emphasizing barbarism
- Albino - whites (see albino)
- Ame-koh - Americans, used in Japan
- Ami - Americans, originating in Germany from Scheiss-Ami
- Amo - the Amish
- Angie - Anglophones in Canada, used in Quebec
- apple - U.S., a black person (apples hang from trees) cf. windchime
- Apu - U.S., popularized by the character of the same name from The Simpsons, referring to Indians
- A-rab - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent (from Arab)
- Armo - Armenians
- Aunt Jemima, U.S. Blacks, a black woman who "kisses up" to whites, a "sellout", cf. Uncle Tom
- Babuska - Eastern Europeans, deriving from the head covering worn by Ukrainian women
- Bagel dog - Jews, referring to traditional food product: bagels
- Bahadur - Nepali servants
- Bamboo coon - Chinese people
- barbarian - Ancient Roman, a non-Roman European (especially the Germanic tribes); China, a person of a Mongolian tribe
- Bigger Thomas - U.S. Blacks, slang for a bad nigger
- black pillar box - U.K., a muslim woman who wears a burka
- black velvet - Australia, an Aboriginal prostitute
- blackhead - U.K., an Arab
- boat niggers - U.S., Cuban people
- bog trotter - UK, Irish people
- bolillo - Mexico, white people (bolillo is a white bread roll).
- boofer - Hawaii, Polynesian word equivalent to nigger
- boong - Australia, Australian aboriginal
- bounty bar - U.S., a black person who acts like a white person
- boy - Southern U.S. whites, a black man
- bule - Indonesian term for a white person, roughly translates as 'pigskin'.
- beaner / bean-eater - Western U.S., someone of Mexican descent
- brown sugar - U.S./U.K., a black woman
- cafflick - Scotland, a Catholic
- camel jockey - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent
- Canuck - U.S., a Canadian national
- caphead - Australia, a Jewish man
- cardboard nigger - US Blacks, a black person "selling out" to the whites or not acting "black"
- Carlton - U.S., refers to Carlton Banks: a black character from the sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" that "acted white".
- cave bitch - U.S., from an Ice Cube song about white women
- charlie - U.S., a Vietnamese person (shortened from radio code for the Vietcong (V.C.): "Victor Charlie")
- ching chong - Australia, someone of Chinese descent
- Chink - U.S./U.K., someone of Chinese descent
- chocolate drop - U.K., a black person
- chogee - Australia, someone of Asian descent
- chongo/chango - (also "mono") U.S. hispanics, a black person ("chongo/chango" is Spanish for "monkey")
- chowie - U.K./Australia, someone of Asian descent
- Christ-killer - used in some Christian cultures, a Jewish person
- clog - used in some cultures, a Dutch person (from their supposed wearing of clogs)
- Cochise - U.S., a Native American
- coco - U.K., a black person
- coconut - U.S./U.K./Australia, a black person who acts like a white (a coconut is dark on the outside but white on the inside)
- coon - U.S./U.K./Australia, a black person
- cockroach - U.S., a Mexican immigrant
- cosmopolite - Soviet Union, a jew
- cotton picker - U.S., a black person
- cracker - U.S., a white person from the Southern U.S.
- cuff - U.S., a black person
- dago - U.S., someone of Italian descent (originally applied to Spanish, Portuguese or Italian sailors)
- darkie - various, someone with dark-colored skin (not used for Hispanics or Asians)
- deicide - "godkiller", synonym of Christ-killer.
- didicoy - UK, gipsy
- dinge - US, a black person
- dog muncher - U.S., someone of Korean descent
- Dot-head - U.S., someone of southeast Asian descent (from the Hindu practice of wearing bindis)
- double Dutch / Dutch courage - U.S./U.K., inferior attributes for Dutch people
- eggplant - North-eastern U.S., a black person
- Eskimo - a Inuit
- esse - U.S., someone of Hispanic descent
- Eurotrash - U.S./U.K., a continental European national
- Eyetie / Eye-talian - U.S., someone of Italian descent
- fob - U.S., a recent Asian immigrant (from Fresh Off the Boat)
- flip - U.S., someone of Filipino descent
- franchute - Spain, a French national
- frog - U.S./U.K., a French national
- gabacho - Spain, a French national.
- gachupín - Central America, a Spaniard
- gadjo/gadji' - Gypsy, a non-Gypsy male/female
- gaijin - Japan, any non-Japanese person
- gavacho - Mexico, a white person. See gabacho.
- ghetto monkey - U.S., a black person
- ghost - China (Qing Dynasty), a foreigner, esp. a Japanese person (white people were "ghosts from the seas")
- gin - Australia - an Aboriginal woman
- goat roper - U.S. southwest, white people (mostly hicks and/or suburban cowboys)
- godo - Canary Islands, "Goth", a Peninsular Spaniard.
- gook - U.S. since Korean War, usually applied to an Asian person (It comes from "Mi Guk?" ("American?" in Korean) which was mistook by G.I.'s as "Me Gook!")
- goomba - various groups, An Italian person
- goy - Jews, a non-Jew or a Jew that does not practice Judaism
- greaser - U.S., someone of Latin American descent, esp. Mexican
- gringo - Latin America and Spain: Non-Hispanic U.S. national. For brazilians, any foreigner.
- gubba - Australia - Aboriginal term for white people.
- guido - US, someone of Italian descent (a genuine Italian first name)
- guinea - U.S., someone of Italian descent
- gwailo - Cantonese, see ghost
- '''Gypsy - a Sinti or Roma
- habib - U.S., someone of Southeast Asian descent
- haole - native Hawaiians, a non-native white person
- heeb - U.S., a Jewish person (Short for Hebrew)
- hillbilly - U.S., a rural white person, esp. one from Appalachia
- honger - North America, a person from Hong Kong
- honky - U.S. blacks, a white person
- Hymie - U.S. blacks, a Jewish person, especially from New York City ("Hymietown")
- hun - Allies in WWI, a German soldier; also Irish nationalists, a British nationalist
- hunkie - U.S., someone of hungarian descent
- ice mutant - black supremacists, a white person
- \'Injun' - a Native American, from "Indian"
- Jap - U.S./U.K., someone of Japanese descent
- JAP - U.S., Jewish women (Jewish American Princess)/Aust. spoilt jewish adolescants (Jewish American Prince or Princess)
- Jerry - U.S., a German national
- jigaboo - U.S., a black person
- Jock - UK, Scottish person
- jungle bunny - U.S. whites, a black person
- kaffir - South African whites, a black person
- kaffir - Arabic word used in the Islamic world, a non-believer, atheist, or pagan. Jews and Christians would not be considered a kaffir. The word does not count as a slur, it has the same negative connotations as a non-believer
- kike - U.S., a Jewish person
- Kraut - U.S./U.K., a German national
- limey - U.S., a British national - British sailors ate limes to prevent scurvy
- long nose - China, a person of European descent
- maketo - Basque Country, a Spaniard
- Mau-mau - U.S./U.K., a black activist
- mayate - U.S. hispanics, Spanish equivalent of nigger
- mick - U.S., a person of Irish descent (from the common surname form McXxxx)
- moon cricket - U.S., a black person
- moro, moraco - Spain, a Moor, but see Moro.
- mud person - U.S. white supremacists, a non-white person (usually seen in the plural form as mud people)
- munt - South Africa, a black person
- Naga - U.S., a black person (Naga stands for North American Ground Ape, used by the LAPD during the Watts riot in LA)
- Nazi - North America, Europe, etc, a German person
- Newfie - Canada, a person from Newfoundland
- nigger - U.S./U.K., a black person (also "niggra," southern U.S. pronunciation; "nigga," Ebonics)
- night fighter - U.S., a black person
- nig-nog - U.K., a black person (adapted from niknok, see below)
- niknok - Netherlands, Dutch word equivalent to nigger
- ninny - U.S., a black person (short for pickaninnie)
- Nip - U.S., someone of Japanese descent (from Nippon, an Anglicization of the Japanese name for Japan)
- oreo - U.S., someone of black and white descent (or a black person who "acts white" - see Carlton)
- oven dodger - Australia, a Jewish person
- Paddy - U.S., an Irishman (from the popular Irish diminutive of "Patrick")
- Papist - Protestants, a Roman Catholic person
- Pakeha - (Maori) A new Zealander of European descent
- Paki - U.K., a Pakistani (or other South Asian)
- payo - Spain, a non-Gypsy
- pickaninnie - UK/US, black child
- Polack - U.S., a person of Polish descent
- pom - Australia/New Zealand/South Africa, a British national
- pongo - U.K., a black person
- porch monkey - U.S., a black person
- P.R. - U.S., Puerto Rican
- prairie nigger - U.S., a Native American
- prod - Scotland, a Protestant
- raghead - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent
- raton - France, a North African Muslim
- redneck - U.S., an rural, unrefined white person (esp. a person from a southern state)
- roast beef - France, a British person
- rock ape - U.K./Australia, a black person
- rock spider - English-speaking South Africans, an Afrikaner (although in Australia, rock spider means child molester)
- round eye - Asia, a white person
- round hair - U.S., a black person
- rug pilot - U.S., a person of Middle Eastern descent (from the image of the flying carpet)
- Russki - U.S., a Russian national
- sambo - U.K., a black person
- sand Nazi - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent
- sand nigger - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent
- sars - U.S,, person of asian descent
- sheister/shyster - U.S., a Jew
- shit-kicker - U.S., a white person from the southwest (ex: Oklahoma)
- Skunk - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent
- Skip - Australian - a white Australian of British descent - from "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo"
- slant-eye - U.S., a person of Asian descent
- slapface - Australia, a person of Asian descent
- slope - a person of Asian descent
- spic - U.S., a person of Hispanic descent
- spook - U.S. whites, a black person
- spear-chucker - U.S. whites, a black person
- sudaca - Spain, a Latin American, a play on sudamericano and sudar (to sweat)
- surrender monkey - U.S., a French person
- swamp honky - U.S. southwest, similar to white trash - white residents around the Louisiana/Texas border (also "swamp trash")
- taffy - U.K., a Welsh person
- terrier - U.S., an Irish laborer
- Tonto - U.S., a Native American (refers to the sidekick on "The Lone Ranger")
- towelhead - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent
- trailer trash - U.S., a rural white person living in a trailer park; cf. white trash
- Uncle Tom - U.S. blacks, term for someone who panders to white people; a "sellout" (taken from Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin")
- welfare monkey - U.S., a black person
- wetback - U.S., an illegal Mexican immigrant
- White Devil - U.S., (originated with Nation of Islam) a white person
- whitey - U.S., a white person
- white trash, also poor white trash - U.S., a rural white person
- wigger - U.S., a white person who 'acts' as a black stereotype
- windchime - U.S., a black person (windchimes are hung out in the open) cf. apple
- wog - U.K., a dark-skinned national of a Colonial British colony; also Australia, a Meditaranean-European (especially Greek or Italian) person (or any foreigner)
- wop - U.S., an Italian immigrant (click here for etymology, although folk etymology gives the origin as: WithOut Passport)
- Yank/Yankee - Southern U.S., a person from the North-Eastern USA; also non-USA, an American national
- yard ape - U.S., a black person; cf. porch monkey
- yellow peril - Australia, an Asian immigrant
- yo-yo - U.S., a black person (yo-yo's hang from strings) cf. windchime
- zig - U.S., a black person (short for zigaboo)
