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.

It is not uncommon for minority groups to adopt an originally disparaging term and use it of themselves, as an act of self-assertion. However, they may be extremely offended if it is used by others; nigger is an extreme example.

See also: Term of disparagement

Numbers A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ

Numbers

A

  • 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 gay male
  • 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
  • Ape Candy - Whites who date blacks.
  • 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 (pronounced as the letter "A" followed by "rab" as in rabbit.)
  • Armo - Armenians
  • Aunt Jemima, U.S. Blacks, a black woman who "kisses up" to whites, a "sellout", cf. Uncle Tom
  • Ay-rab - U.S., variant spelling of A-rab.

B

  • 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
  • banana - Canada, U.S., an Asian who is "yellow on the outside, white on the inside"
  • barbarian - Ancient Roman, a non-Roman European (especially the Germanic tribes); China, a person of a Mongolian tribe
  • beaner - U.S., Chicanos or Latinos in general
  • 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

C

  • 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" who "acted white".
  • Casper the Unfriendly Ghost - U.S. Asians, A naughty white person.
  • 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

D

E

F

G

H

  • habib - U.S., someone of Southeast Asian descent
  • hajji - an Iraqi, Arab, Muslim, or occasionally other nonwhite, used by US occupation forces; one soldier notably wrote "Hodgie killer" on his footlocker. See Hajj for non-offensive usage.
  • Hankee Yankee - US Asians, a white southerner.
  • 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, can be used jokingly unlike some terms
  • 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. See Huns for non-offensive usage.
  • hunkie - U.S., someone of hungarian descent

I

J

  • 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)
  • Jawa - U.S., sand people, someone of Middle-Eastern descent. see also sand monkey
  • Jerry - U.S., a German national
  • jigaboo - U.S., a black person
  • Jock - UK, Scottish person
  • jungle bunny - U.S. whites, a black person

K

L

  • limey - U.S., a British national - British sailors ate limes to prevent scurvy
  • long nose - China, a person of European descent

M

  • mall honky - an indiscriminate white consumer.
  • 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

N

  • 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, can be used as a term of pride
  • nigger - U.S./U.K., a black person (also "niggra," southern U.S. pronunciation; "nigga," Ebonics); New Zealand, a Maori
  • 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)
  • Nordstrom Rack - White women with fake breasts.

O

  • oreo - U.S., someone of black and white descent (or a black person who "acts white" - see Carlton)
  • oven dodger - Australia, a Jewish person

P

  • 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 honky - U.S. lazy white 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

Q

  • [insert item]

R

  • raghead - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent
  • raton - France, a North African Muslim (from the French genitive for "rat")
  • redneck - U.S., an rural, unrefined white person (esp. a person from a southern state)
  • roast beef or rosbif - 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)
  • rootless cosmopolitan (Russian: bezrodnyj kosmopolit) - Soviet Union (late Stalin era, 1948-1953), a Jew
  • 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

S

T

  • 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
  • twinkie - U.S./Canada, an Asian person who is "yellow on the outside, white on the inside" (similar to 'banana' above)

U

V

  • [insert item]

W

XYZ

  • 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 (also used among Melburnians of all descent to refer to the modern-art sculpture known as "Vault")
  • yid - U.K., A Jewish person
  • yo-yo - U.S., a black person (yo-yo's hang from strings) cf. windchime
  • zig - U.S., a black person (short for zigaboo)

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