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There are numerous offensive terms given to people, depending on their nationality. Many of these have a pejorative association, some are considered as racist.
Offensive terms for Americans (United States) - Amerloque – also French slang
- Ami ; German slang sometimes used offensively ("Ami go home!")
- cowboys – considered patronizing and mockery by Europeans, but many Americans are not offended.
- Damnyankee – Used in the Southern US for people from the North.
- gavacho (or gabacho) – Used in Mexico. For origin, see under "Offensive terms for the French"
- Gringo – From the Spanish griego (foreigner, literally meaning "Greek")
- merkin – a caricature of pronunciation but also a word with a meaning of its own.
- 'murrican – caricature of the way some Americans pronounce the word "American".
- Ricain – French slang (shortening of the usual américain)
- Septic, seppo – British and Australian term for Americans (rhyming slang for septic tank = Yank)
- Yank – short for Yankees; Yanqui in Spanish, jenki in Hungarian
- Redneck; symmetric to "Yankee", used to emphasise perceived similarities in modern US policies and Dixiecracy. Also refers to Southerners when seen as rural and agricultural (reference to the sunburned skin of farm workers)
Offensive terms for Austrians - Ösis or Ötzis used in Bavaria. Both terms are supposedly joking, slightly teasing expressions.
- Schluchtenscheißer (one who shits in canyons) used in Germany.
Offensive terms for Arabs - Camel rider or Camel jockey, referring to archaic modes of transport.
- Mohammad A name mocking the fact that that many Arab men are named after the prophet, because of their presumed religion, Islam
- Towelhead or Raghead, referring to the head coverings worn by some Arab men.
- Camel humper (implying Zoophilia) or Sand-nigger are very offensive terms mainly used in the USA.
Offensive terms for Azeri - Azer (азер) Russian, after the Azeri language word azәri, which literally means Azeri. A non-offensive Russian word for Azeri is Azerbaydzhanets (азербайджанец).
- Chyorny (чёрный) Russian, meaning black.
- Churka (чурка) Russian, meaning firewood (analogy from the phrase "dumb as firewood").
Offensive terms for the British - Gottons: deformation of "goddam"; old-fashioned (XIXth Century).
- Inselaffe, Island monkey, is a term occasionally used in Germany.
- Les rosbifs , "The roast beefs", is a term encountered in France, named either after a food perceived to be popular amongst the British or as a reference to the sunburn seen on some British tourists.
- Les fuck-offs , is a term encountered in France, come from the common English expletive.
- Limey, a term used mainly in America, believed to have originated from British sailors' use of limes to control the disease scurvy. It is not necessarily regarded by British people as offensive.
- Pom or whinging pom, Used mainly in Australia and usually against the English. There are several possible etymologies; it is possibly a reference to the pomegranate-like features of florid face. A popular myth has it as an acronym for Prisoner of (his/her) Majesty, in reference to practice of penal transportation.
- Tommy or Tommy Atkins is somewhat dated, and usually refers specifically to British soldiers. It has been widely used for a century or more and may derive from Thomas Atkins, the name printed on specimen forms of the Soldier's Account Book from 1815 onwards. It is not necessarily regarded by British people as offensive.
Offensive terms for Chinese - Chinaman - Chinamen. Considered pejorative, despite its rather benign word root.
- chinetoque in French
- Chink
- sárga ("yellow") and or ferdeszemű ("tilted eyed") in Hungarian
- Schlitzauge ("slit-eye") in German
- Slope
- Slant
- Slanteye - Referring to the of a lack fold on the upper lid of on the eye.
- Grjóni - Literally means "Ricey". Sometimes used in a pejorative way by Icelanders.
Offensive terms for the Czechs - Pepik , Pepiczek, or Pepiczek, Polish offensive referring to the diminutive forms of Czech name Jozef that sound bizarre in Polish.
Offensive terms for the Dutch - cloggy referring to clogs
- Gouda cheese variety
- Käsekopf (cheese-head) is common in Germany, refering both to the cheese produced in the Netherlands, as well as an insinuation that they are a foolish or unintellegent people.
Offensive terms for the Finnish There are quite a few offensive terms for the Finnish, some of which have a pejorative association. The Russians used to frequently refer to Finns (and Estonians) as Chukhna (the actual name of these nations in Imperial Russia, now considered derogatory). The Estonians use poro (literally "reindeer") presumably to both play on geographical location, and the fact that Finns purportedly navigate the streets of Tallin on all fours after having drunk themselves legless.
The Swedish refer to Finns as Finnjävel (literally "Finnish devil") Both the Swedes and Norwegians can use the name Pekka, signifying the fact that they feel the first name is typical for Finns.
Offensive terms for the French - cheese-eating surrender monkey In 2003, the phrase came into common usage as a pejorative term for the French, in the United States. The phrase originated on the popular animated series The Simpsons, in the episode "Round Springfield" (originally aired April 30, 1995) when Scottish character Groundskeeper Willy addresses a French class with "Bonjourrrrrr, you cheese-eatin' surrender monkeys". The phrase was popularized in the media by Jonah Goldberg, a columnist for the rightwing weekly National Review, and was adopted by conservatives expressing displeasure at the French for opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq. See Anti-French sentiment.
- frenchie A more neutral but still derogatory term for the French.
- frog A historic pejorative term for the French. The word is probably derived from "frog-eater" (German: Froschfresser), a term listed in the 1913 Webster Dictionary. The term is primarily used in the UK to refer to a French national, but is also used in other English-speaking countries. In the United States towns with large French immigrant populations are sometimes called "frog town".
- "gabacho" A pejorative term for the French in the Spanish language.
- Dirty French relating to a stereotype of the french as being unclean, and often that their women are unshaven.
Offensive terms for Germans The word Kraut has to some extent succeeded Hun as an insulting term for Germans in the English language. Another term, Jerry, could also be used pejoratively.
Whenever Austrians want to insult Germans they use the word Piefke (pronounced "peefke"), whereas Bavarians prefer the word Saupreiß ("Prussian Sow", pronounced "sow price") for non-Bavarian Germans (this is nowadays perceived as a mild or even affectionate insult).
In both World War I and World War II, the French called the Germans "les Boches" or "les shleus", but the last one is rare nowadays. The Dutchmen use "Mof", Poles say "Szkop" or "Szwab", "Hitlerowiec", "Faszysta" and American often use the historical term "Nazi".
In Hungary the historical term "náci" (nazi) is pretty offensive, and "fritz" is still used, which was the main term around the World War II.
In Russian, "fritz" is used, but mostly in reference to the times of Nazi occupation. Also, the term "nemchura" (немчура) is in use from old times. In fact, the Russian word "nemets" (немец) for "German person" itself originated from a derogatory word for a European who cannot speak Russian. It literally means "dumb (mute) person" (in modern Russian, "mute" is translated as "nemoy" (немой)).
The song Don't let's be nasty to the Germans by Noel Coward exemplifies many of these terms in use. This was a popular song in the UK and U.S. during World War II.
Americans will offensively refer to Germans as "Nazis" in contexts for which it does not actually apply.
Offensive terms for the Irish - Mick, from the common prefix Mc-/Mac- on Irish surnames.
- Paddy, from the given name Patty (short form of Patrick), a presumably popular name in Ireland (paddywagon for "police car" is derived from this slur)
Offensive terms for the Italians - Dago, known as a pejorative term referring to Italians in the US. The same term is known in Australia, where in the 1950s folklore has it a chain of shops called "Sundown" used it with the slogan "Shop here before the day goes" ("Sundowner" is also an Australian term meaning "down and out".)
- Digó in Hungary, probably related to the dago above
- Ginzo used in U.S. as a slur for those of Italian birth or descent.
- Guido used in the USA
- Guinea and wop are two common anti-Italian ethnic slurs. The former alleges that Italians are not white and are in fact "sub-standard" because of their Guinea (African) blood.
- Itaker in Germany
- Rital in France, or Macaroni (referring to Italian pastas).
- Wogs used in Australia, along with Chockos (rhyming slang: Chocolate Frog = Wog) (Wog can also be used for Greeks and other Mediteranian immigrants)
Offensive terms for Jews - Christ-killer
- Heeb, Heebie
- Hymie, from a supposedly typical Jewish first name
- Kike
- Jap, jocular abbreviation for Jewish American Prince(ss)
- Jew-boy
- Jewess
- Yid
- Zhid (жид) - Russian term
Offensive terms for the Poles
Offensive terms for the Romanians - hairy feet (szőröstalpú) in Hungarian
Offensive terms for the Russians - "Commie" , or "Red" (short for "communist") is another offensive term, which may also refer to people from other "ex-Soviet-bloc countries".
- ''Iwan In Germany, common names were used in former times.
- Kacap , Rusek , and Sowiet Are offensive words used in Poland.
- Katsap Ukraine
- Morca Tatar, used for Russian women, means chimney; now the word lost its offensive meaning.
- Moskal Ukraine, referring to the Muscovy.
- Popov Used in France.
- "Russki" Main offensive word used in the English speaking world that refers to Russians as well as several "ex-Soviet-bloc countries", such as Hungary.Ironically, the word is not at all offensive to the English-speaking Russians, since it simply means "Russian" (русский) in Russian.
Offensive terms for the Serbians - Jugos A supposedly "not too offensive" term the Germans use. "Jugos" (= Yugoslavians)
- Tschusche Sometimes used in Austria.
Offensive terms for South Africans - Boer , referring to Afrikaners, meaning "farmer"; originally in universally accepted usage, the term is now obsolete and used pejoratively.
- Clutchplate, used by English South Africans to refer to Afrikaners
- Hotnot, used by Afrikaners to refer to coloured people; very offensive
- Kaffir , referring to South African blacks, literally meaning "non-believer" in Arabic; extremely offensive
- Rock Spider, used by English South Africans to refer to Afrikaners - also an Australian prison slang term for a paedophile
- Rooinek' , used by Afrikaners to refer to English South Africans, meaning "red neck", from the sunburn fair-skinned English-speakers get in South Africa
- Sout piel , used by Afrikaners to refer to English South Africans, meaning "salty penis", because English-speaking South Africans are said to have one foot in South Africa and the other in England
Offensive terms for the Spanish - Dago, originally of British usage, also known as a pejorative term referring to Italians in the US
- Don, a British term almost never used in modern times, this term prevailed from around 1500 to 1800
- Spic, American, also referring to Latin Americans
- Gachupín, Mexican pejorative term referring to Spaniards
- Xarnego (spelled in Spanish as Charnego), Catalan pejorative term for Spaniards from other parts of Spain, especially if they live or work in Catalonia, and for persons of mixed descent (e.g. half-Catalan half-Spanish)
- Maketa (spelled in Spanish as Maqueta), Basque pejorative term for Castilians
- Polaco, Spanish pejorative term for Catalans
- Metèque, early 20th century French derogatory term for Spaniards (and other foreigners from the South)
- Gallego, a Spanish word referring to the province of Galicia, used in derogatory fashion in the southern half of South America to describe anyone from Spain
Offensive terms for the Tatars - Tartar, English, sounds like Tatar. The word is also used to describe Mongolian tribes in historical context. When used in relation to modern Tatars, it implies their relation to barbarians.
- Tatarva, Russian.
- Chaplashka, Russian, after the word for Tatar traditional hat known as tübätäy.
- Abdulla (not so offensive; after the Tatar name Ghabdulla).
Offensive terms for the Turkish In Western Europe they sometimes use the term "Kanacke" (Polynesian for human). In the German speaking areas offensive words for the Turkish are Kümmeltürke (caraway turk) or Knoblauchfresser (garlic-eater / garlic glutton), based on the Turkish cuisine.
The term "wog" was originally used in Britain to signify Turks, but it has become used as a general derogatory term for people from Southern Europe (particularly Italians and Greeks) and the Middle East, and to some extent, foreigners in general.
Offensive terms for the Ukrainians In Poland, offensive word is Upowiec or Banderowiec, from the abbreviation "UPA" (Ukrainian Insurrection Army) and its leader Stepan Bandera, known for massacres of Poles. Other terms are similar to those used for Russians, like Kacap or Rusek.
In Russia and other Russian-speaking post-Soviet countries it is khokhol.
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