# What derogatory names do other races use for white people? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 8, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053 "2004-02-08T00:32:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trillionaire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@Trillionaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trillionaire)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/1 "2004-02-08T00:32:01Z")
A white, English-speaking person wanting to use a racist slur against another culture might use words like nigger, coon, spic, kyke, etc. I was wondering what some equivalent terms were that other cultures use, to refer to caucasians in the same way. I’m especially interested in foreign language words and their translations. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/2 "2004-02-08T00:41:27Z")
Cracker, honky, whitey, white trash… these are all in use today in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/3 "2004-02-08T00:45:13Z")
“Honky” is my personal favorite. It just sounds too silly to be offensive. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/4 "2004-02-08T00:47:32Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > Cracker, honky, whitey, white trash… these are all in use today in the U.S. …but not one of them even comes close to the OP’s first example. I’m white, but you’d never insult me with those words. A black person, on the other hand, would probably…and rightfully so…kick your ass. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/5 "2004-02-08T00:48:37Z")
Oh, I agree 100%. I’m white, and I don’t think you could _come up_ with a slur that would offend me. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/6 "2004-02-08T00:54:54Z")
Moving on… I believe _gringo_ is still used in Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![toque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9e8a1a/32.png) [@toque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toque)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/7 "2004-02-08T01:08:59Z")
Mr. Charlie, Ofay, Peckerhead, Peckerwood… I’m blanking on the Xicano term for white people- it’s more jovial than offensive- please remind me. ---
**Author:** ![Spezza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Spezza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spezza)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/8 "2004-02-08T01:10:57Z")
American! That’s the worst somebody could call me. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/9 "2004-02-08T01:31:51Z")
> [@Spezza](#): > > American! > > That’s the worst somebody could call me. **It’s one of the finest things anyone could call me!** 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/10 "2004-02-08T01:33:16Z")
> [@Spezza](#): > > American! > > That’s the worst somebody could call me. **It’s one of the finest things anyone could call me!** 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/11 "2004-02-08T01:39:33Z")
I remember hearing “splib” in the Navy, but I don’t remember what group it referred to. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/12 "2004-02-08T01:49:12Z")
> [@Spezza](#): > > American! > > That’s the worst somebody could call me. This from a Canadian who’s only listed interest is “beer”. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![satu\_largi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@satu\_largi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/satu_largi)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/13 "2004-02-08T01:52:31Z")
…in Thailand, Westeners are called Falang (guava)…the personally very clean Thais react to the body odour of Westeners by calling out “'Faleng”’, or “'Ferang”", with a smile, and if you have ever had a ripe guava in your home you will understand the reference… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Extraneous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/0ea827/32.png) [@Extraneous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Extraneous)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/14 "2004-02-08T02:00:37Z")
One is Chinese, the other Japanese (don’t remember which is which) “Round eyes” “White Devil” ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/15 "2004-02-08T02:20:33Z")
“The _Man_.” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/16 "2004-02-08T02:21:42Z")
> [@Extraneous](#): > > One is Chinese, the other Japanese (don’t remember which is which) > > “Round eyes” > > “White Devil” Round-eyes is Chinese, as in “Look at the funny round-eyes!” ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/17 "2004-02-08T02:54:08Z")
During a trade off of racial slurs and one upmanship between two friends, one white, one black, both filthy mouthed, I heard the following: “Mayonnaise Monkey.” Now that’s a slur! Japanese also has “Dog Face” for whites, because we apparently have snoutlike faces, and “Bata-kusai”, or “butter stinker”, becasue our high dairy diet make us smell funny. China has “Gwailo”, white devil. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/18 "2004-02-08T03:46:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Japanese also has “Dog Face” for whites, because we apparently have snoutlike faces… Or could that possibly trace its origin to the common slang for occupation era U.S. Army infantry soldiers? “Shine” is another, likely archaic, one. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/19 "2004-02-08T03:55:39Z")
Japan also has “gaijin”, but that’s used to refer to all foreigners, not just whites. “Gweilo” is actually Cantonese; in Mandarin, “laoguei”, or “old outsider” (which has nothing to do with actual age). The Chinese also have “lao wai” (“old foreigner”) and “da bi zi” (“big nose”). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053/20 "2004-02-08T04:04:41Z")
In Uganda, we were called “mazungu”, which I think just means “white person”. In Mali, we were called “tubab”, which is Bambara for “foreigner”. Neither term is insulting. And let’s not forget “paleface”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-derogatory-names-do-other-races-use-for-white-people/228053.md?page=2)