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
- Ab-bo - Australia, Australian aboriginal
- A-rab - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent (from Arab)
- barbarian - Ancient Roman, a non-Roman European (especially the Germanic tribes)
- boong - Australia, Australian aboriginal
- boy - Southern U.S. whites, a black man
- beaner / bean-eater - Western U.S., someone of Mexican descent
- camel jockey - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent
- Canuck - U.S., a Canadian national
- Charlie - U.S. military; Vietnam War - a Vietcong soldier
- Chink - U.S./U.K., someone of Chinese descent
- Christ-killer - used in some Christian cultures, a Jewish person
- coon - U.S./U.K./Australia, a black person
- cockroach - U.S., a Mexican immigrant
- cracker - U.S., a white person from the Southern U.S.
- 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)
- double Dutch / Dutch courage - U.S./U.K., inferior attributes for Dutch people
- eggplant - North-eastern U.S., a black person
- 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
- frog - U.S./U.K., a French national
- Gerry - Allies in WWII, a German soldier
- ghost - China (Qing Dynasty), a foreigner, esp. a Japanese person (white people were "ghosts from the seas")
- gook - U.S. since Vietnam War, a Vietnamese person
- goy - Hebrew speakers, a non-Jewish person
- guinea - U.S., someone of Italian descent
- haole - native Hawaiians, a non-native white person
- heeb - U.S., a Jewish person (Short for Hebrew)
- 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
- ice mutant - black supremacists, a white person
- Jap - U.S./U.K., someone of Japanese descent
- JAP - U.S., Jewish women (Jewish American Princess)
- jungle bunny - U.S. whites, a black person
- kaffir - South African whites, a black person
- kaffir - Islamic world, a non-Muslim
- 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
- mick - U.S., a person of Irish descent (from the common surname form McXxxx)
- moon cricket - U.S., a black person
- mud person - U.S. white supremacists, a non-white person (usually seen in the plural form as mud people)
- Nazi - North America, Europe, etc, a German person
- Newfy - Canada, a person from Newfoundland
- nigger - U.S./U.K., a black person (also "niggra", southern U.S. pronunciation)
- Nip - U.S., someone of Japanese descent (from Nippon, an Anglicization of the Japanese name for Japan)
- Papist - Protestants, a Roman Catholic person
- Pinko - U.S., Communist/Communist-sympathizer (used for all liberals by extreme conservatives)
- Polack - U.S., a person of Polish descent
- pom - Australia/New Zealand/South Africa, a British national
- porch monkey - U.S., a black person
- prairie nigger - U.S., a Native American
- raghead - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent
- red neck - U.S., a rural white person
- rock spider - English-speaking South Africans, an Afrikaner (although in Australia, rock spider means child molester)
- Round hair - U.S., a black person
- Russki - U.S., a Russian national
- sand Nazi - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent
- sand nigger - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent
- Skunk - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent
- slant-eye - U.S., 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
- towelhead - U.S., someone of Middle-eastern descent
- wetback - U.S., an illegal Mexican immigrant
- whitey - U.S., a white person
- wog - U.K., a dark-skinned national of a Colonial British colony; also Australia, a Southern-European person (or any foreigner)
- wop - U.S., an Italian immigrant (click here for etymology (http://www.etymonline.com/w3etym.htm), although folk etymology gives the origin as: WithOut Passport)
- Yank - Southern U.S., a person from the North-Eastern U.S.
- Yankee - Europe, an American national (also, same as Yank)