Indians

People from India, the world's second most populous country in South Asia.

Term	Origin	Meaning
ABCD		Stands for American Born Confused Desi. Used by South Asians to describe Indian or Pakistani Americans who are perceived as caught between their heritage culture and American culture. Desi is colloquial for someone from South Asia.
Apna		Hindi/Punjabi slang meaning "our guy," referring to a male of one's own race. "Apni" refers to Indian females. Used in areas with Punjabi immigrants.
Apu		Hindu character from The Simpsons. Before that, one of the most famous films out of India was the "Apu Trilogy."
Babar		Babar is a fictional elephant from French children's literature. Used as a slur against Indians, playing on the word resemblance to Babur, the Mughal emperor, and the elephant association.
Babu		From Hindi "babu," a title of respect that became a mocking term for Indian clerks in British India.
Bhindu		Similar to "hillbilly" or simpleton. "Bindu" is a Sanskrit word meaning "drop." The word "bindi," the red dot worn on the forehead by Indian women and sometimes men, comes from this word.
Bhrempti		Their pronunciation of the number 20.
Binder		Slang for turban.
Bindi		From the dot that Hindu women wear on their foreheads.
Bipty		When an Indian gives you change at 7-Eleven, it sounds like they are saying, "Here is one dollar and bipty cents."
Boojie		Pronounced "boo-jee"; refers to all the 7-Eleven workers of the world.
Buttonhead		Due to the red dot on many Hindus' foreheads.
Chara		A South African term for Indians. Not as derogatory as coolie.
Cow-Kisser		For the worship of cows in India.
Curry		Derivative of "curry muncher," etc.
Curry-Muncher		Refers to the stereotype that Indians eat curry.
D.I.P.		Stands for "Dumb Idiotic Punjabi."
Desi		Refers to native Indians; non-derogatory, even humorous. "Des" means "country" and "desi" means "fellow countryman."
Dot Knot		Dot (the red dot on the forehead) and knot (the turbans of Punjabis).
Dot/Dot-Head		Refers to the "bindi" (dot) on their foreheads. The dot's significance relates to the marital status of an Indian woman. Red dot: married; black dot: single.
Dottie		Indians are the smart ones that put the "dot" in ".com."
Elephant Jockey		Elephants were a popular mode of transport in Victorian and pre-Victorian Asia.
Etch		Some say their music sounds like an Etch A Sketch.
Gandhi		Refers to Mahatma Gandhi.
Ganesh		Ganesh, a Hindu god.
Gas Pumper		Most gas stations are said to be owned and operated by Indians.
Ghinder		Origins are unknown. The generally accepted derivation is from the ultimate "ghinder," Mahatma Gandhi.
Gupta		A former Hindu dynasty.
Habib		Indian name. Used in the TV show "Married with Children," where a gas attendant was Indian.
Hadji		Reference to Hadji, the youthful East Indian sidekick in the Saturday-morning cartoon "Jonny Quest" (1964).
Halee Halaa		Imitates the manner in which they speak; used by Latin Americans.
Hamilton		Rhyming slang in Scotland from the Scottish soccer team Hamilton Academical. Shortened to "Hamilton Accies" ("Akkies"), a derogatory name for Indians.
Higger		Hindus who act Black.
Indonigger		An Indian who tries to be Black, or is darker-skinned.
Jab		Short for Punjab, a region of India.
Julab		Means "wet shit" in Hindi/Punjabi.
Kaek		Thai slur for South Asian people, particularly Indians. Derives from a word meaning guest or visitor, implying permanent foreignness.
Kaliali		"Malu" is actually short for "Malayali," also spelled "Malayalee." Specifically South Indians from the state of Kerala in India.
Kalu		Indian acting like a black person.
Kumar		From the movie "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle." Kumar is the Indian character.
Kuthi		Means "bitch" in Punjabi.
Macaca		Derived from the word "monkey." Famously used by Republican U.S. Senator George Allen during his 2006 re-election campaign.
Madrasis		The biggest city in South India used to be called Madras (now Chennai).
Mahout		Literally means "elephant driver" but was turned into a popular racial slur around 1997, when a lot of Indians began to move onto Long Island.
Mangosteen		The mangosteen is a fruit that grows in the East Indies and is dark on the outside but white on the inside. Refers to Indians who have forgotten their heritage.
My Friend!		Started by the constant greetings of deli clerks as they greet customers.
Paki		Short for "Pakistani." Often not derogatory when used. In the UK many Indians and Pakistanis have been lumped under the same term. It is much more of a slur to Indians.
Patel		Common Gujarati surname used to stereotype all Indians or South Asians as being from the same community, often associated with the stereotype that Patels own motels in the United States.
Pindunderjip		From the joke "What do you call an East Indian who got hit by a truck?" Answer: "Pindunderjip" ("pinned under jeep").
Pull-Start		Reference to pulling their turbans off their heads.
Punjab		Refers to the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. Used broadly to stereotype all South Asian people as coming from that region regardless of their actual origin.
Push-Button		Refers to the caste mark (dot) on their foreheads. Also "push-start."
Reset		Comes from the common red dot on an Indian's forehead, which resembles the reset button on many electronics.
Sambo		Derives from the traditional children's story "The Story of Little Black Sambo," about an Asian Indian boy who had dark skin.
Sanjay		Apu's co-worker on "The Simpsons" is named Sanjay.
Slurpee Jockey		Reference to convenience store franchises.
Spice Rubber		Because they use massive amounts of spices in their cuisine and supposedly rub them on their bodies.
Swami		A Hindu religious teacher.
Taxi Driver		The famous New York taxi drivers.
Thank You Come Again		A phrase made popular by Apu, the stereotypical Indian convenience store owner on "The Simpsons."
Turbinator		Sikh Indians wear turbans because their religion dictates that they may not cut their hair.