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," and referring to a male of their own race. "Apni" refers to Indian females. Used in areas of 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 | Means "child" in Hindi. Getting multiple "definitions" for this word. | |
| Bhindu | Similar to "hillbilly" or simpleton. Bindu is a Sanskrit word meaning drop. The word bindi, which is the typical "red dot" worn on the forehead of Indian men and women, comes from this word. | |
| Bhrempti | Their pronunciation of the number 20. | |
| Binder | Slang for turbin | |
| Bindi | From the dot that Hindu women wear on their foreheads. | |
| Bipty | When an Indian gives you change at 7-11, they sound like they're saying, "Here is one dollar and bipty cents." | |
| Boojie | Pronounced 'boo-jee'; refers to all the 7-11 workers of the world. | |
| Buttonhead | Due to the red dot on many Hindu's 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 | They eat Curry. | |
| D.I.P. | Dumb Idiotic Punjab | |
| Desi | Refers to native Indians, non-derogatory even humorous, "des" means "country" and "desi" means fellow countrymen | |
| Dot Knot | Dot (red dot on forehead) Knot (turbins on Punjabs) | |
| Dot/Dot-Head | Refers to the "bindi" (dot) on their foreheads. The dot's significance relates to the marital status of an indian female. 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 etch-a-sketch. | |
| Gandhi | Famous Indian. | |
| Ganesh | A hindu god. | |
| Gas Pumper | Most gas station are owned and operated by Indians | |
| Ghinder | Origins are unknown. The generally accepted derivative 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 an Indian. | |
| Hadji | Reference to a youthful East Indian side-kick character named Hadji from the '70s Saturday-morning cartoon, "Johnny Quest" | |
| Halee Halaa | Manner in which they speak used by Latin Americans | |
| Hamilton | Rhyming slang in Scotland from a Scottish soccer team called Hamilton Academicals. This is shortened to Hamilton Accies (Akkies) a derogatory name for Indians. | |
| Higger | Hindus who act Black. | |
| Indonigger | Indian who tries to be black, or is darker in skin. | |
| 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 "Maliali" which is spelled Malayalee. Specifically South Indians from the state of Kerala in India | |
| Kalu | Indian acting like a black person | |
| Kumar | From the movie 'Harlad and 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 Indains began to move onto Long Island. | |
| Mangosteen | The mangosteen is a fruit that grows in the East Indies and is black on the outside but white on the inside. Refers to Indians who have forgotten their heritage. | |
| My Friend! | Started by the constant greetings of the clerks of a deli as they greet customers. | |
| Napkin Nigger | Obvious reasons. | |
| Paki | Short for Pakistani. Often not derogatory when used. In The UK many Indians and Pakistanis have been lumped under the same term. It's *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 is an East Indian that got hit by a truck called? Answer; Pindunbderjip or 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. Push-Start also. | |
| Reset | Comes from the common red dot on an Indian's forehead, resembling the reset button on many electronics | |
| Sambo | Derives from the traditional children's story, "The Story of Little Black Sambo" about an Asian Indian 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 spices in their cuisine and they 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 stereotypical Indian convenience store owner Apu on The Simpsons. | |
| Turbinator | Seekh Indians wear turbans because their religion dictates that they may not cut hair |