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In most Latin American countries all Asian people are called Chinese ("Chinos") - to their faces - but without any apparent derrogatory connotation. What's more, they respond to it, even if they're Korean. In Brazil, it's similar except they're all called Japanese ("Japa") - any asian person in "Japa".
Why do they do this? I can't imagine calling a Korean person "Chinese" to their face. But in Latin America this is normal - even educated people do it when they know that the person is not actually Chinese.
A lot of Latinos are nicknamed Chino also, like boxer Marcos Chino Maidana, cartel hitmen Chino Antrax, American musician Chino Moreno, etc etc
Here is a list. It is apparently not a derogatory term, like calling a black person the N word, or calling a Jewish person, a Jew.
Here is a list. It is apparently not a derogatory term, like calling a black person the N word, or calling a Jewish person, a Jew.
If the "N-word" is negro, then yes. In American English now that word is derogatory though that wasn't always the case, but in Spanish negro is the word for black and has never been derogatory by itself. In fact, negro can and often is used as an endearment word and, similar to "chino," it will be used by people who look as if they have nothing of blacks. Many couples call their other half "mi negro/a or mi negrito/a" whatever the person appears to be and in that context it doesn't mean black at all, rather something along the lines of "my love." I think that's another case in Spanish where a word takes on a different meaning depending on the context. Negro can be derogatory in Spanish, but it's always paired with another word, often an explicit word, which I guess we can say by association negro takes a more derogatory meaning, but negro in itself has never been derogatory. In fact, if you look at censuses in Latin America, the countries that have a sizeable population of blacks such as Dominican Republic, Cuba, etc always included a negro category. Had it been derogatory it would had never been used.
If it's the other one in English, then no. Plus, there is no equivalent in Spanish for that word. That's as American English as it comes.
Imagine a whole crowd of people shouting "China" in the face of a Japanese-origin woman. That's the most ignorant Archie-Bunker **** in the world - but totally normal to them. And I'm certain that everyone knows that the Fujimori family is Japanese but it's customary to just call them Chinese anyway.
You are spot-on correct about this. This is not an exaggeration. It sounds beyond belief to people in the US or many other countries, but this is how it is at least in Peru.
I thought that was due to Chino Moreno being part Chinese? And I don't think "Jew" is comparable to the N word at all. There are some other terms I won't use here that fit the bill
In most Latin American countries all Asian people are called Chinese ("Chinos") - to their faces - but without any apparent derrogatory connotation. What's more, they respond to it, even if they're Korean. In Brazil, it's similar except they're all called Japanese ("Japa") - any asian person in "Japa".
Why do they do this? I can't imagine calling a Korean person "Chinese" to their face. But in Latin America this is normal - even educated people do it when they know that the person is not actually Chinese.
In Brazil all people people looking asian or at least with asian eyes would be nick named ''japa'' ''japinha'' or ''japonês'' (japanese), even people with no asian ancestry like the light skinned amerindian mixed brazilians (the darker skinned would be called ''indio / india'' (amerindian).
Here you have an example of a popular brazilian singer nicknamed Japinha even she is not being of japanese ancestry but probably mixed amerindian / white;
as difficult as it is to understand outside our culture, it is an affectionate nickname, a complimentary way of highlighting physical traits as beautiful.
Of course in Brazil is used japanese in opposite as chino in spanish America because Brazil has the biggest japanese diaspora outside Japan.
It is like in Sao Paulo state where all blonde people would be nicknamed ''alemão'' (german) because in a state where most people are of italian descent, most of the blondes were the germans immigrants.
In south Brazil the blondes are called ''polacos'' (polish) because the polish immigration was huge there, and they were % blonder than south europeans and germans (i guess).
In north Brazil where the whites are basically only of portuguese heritage the blondes are called ''galegos'' (from Galicia an area of Portugal where there are more blondes).
highlighting that these nicknames are used for native Brazilians nowadays not for foreigners of these nationalities.
In north Brazil where the whites are basically only of portuguese heritage the blondes are called ''galegos'' (from Galicia an area of Portugal where there are more blondes).
just a small correction: Galiza (or Galicia) is actually located in Spain, right to the north of Portugal, the region of the cities of Vigo, La Coruña and Santiago de Compostela
You are spot-on correct about this. This is not an exaggeration. It sounds beyond belief to people in the US or many other countries, but this is how it is at least in Peru.
Of course I'm correct. Notice the apologists in this thread are not denying that this is a custom. They are trying to create excuses. It's right in their culture. Some are even pretending that it's just a linguistic difference - as if the word "Chino" doesn't refer to a specific ethnic/nationality group in Spanish (total bull****). The Real Academia Española would disagree.
Listen to this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by EVANGELISTTI
In Brazil all people people looking asian or at least with asian eyes would be nick named ''japa'' ''japinha'' or ''japonês'' (japanese), even people with no asian ancestry like the light skinned amerindian mixed brazilians (the darker skinned would be called ''indio / india'' (amerindian).
Here you have an example of a popular brazilian singer nicknamed Japinha even she is not being of japanese ancestry but probably mixed amerindian / white;
as difficult as it is to understand outside our culture, it is an affectionate nickname, a complimentary way of highlighting physical traits as beautiful.
Anybody that's Asian or looks Asian is Japa! - "a J@p". And that's O.K. Imagine an American claiming that it's just their culture to call you a Mexican, you look Mexican - you wouldn't mind?
Imagine an American claiming that it's just their culture to call you a Mexican, you look Mexican - you wouldn't mind?
Frankly, as a Brazilian, if I lived in the US, or visited the US, and Americans called me Mexican, I wouldn't mind at all. I like Mexicans. Let's have some tequila, bro.
Frankly, as a Brazilian, if I lived in the US, or visited the US, and Americans called me Mexican, I wouldn't mind at all. I like Mexicans. Let's have some tequila, bro.
Frankly, as a Brazilian, if I lived in the US, or visited the US, and Americans called me Mexican, I wouldn't mind at all. I like Mexicans. Let's have some tequila, bro.
Well in the United States, we have many Latin American immigrants, and it's considered very rude to even assume that a person is Mexican if you don't know that. Calling people "Mexican" when you know that they are not - is extremely ignorant/racist. Nobody would tolerate that in polite society.
It's also rude/racist to assume that an Asian person is Chinese.
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