How offensive is the word "Chink"?
I am a Chinese person and I really like to use that word. I recently adopted it as my nickname, however, some say it is almost as bad as calling a black person a ***.
4 Answers
- 9 years agoFavourite answer
"Chink" as a racial slur is a very offensive word, as bad as "ching-chong", "slit-eyed", "yellow plague", and "g--k" (Edit: Yahoo censors this word, so I put in two hyphens instead, as I think it use is warranted in this discussion). Other words such as "coolie" and "Chinaman" are also offensive to many, although in certain academic or historical context I think the use of "coolie" and "Chinaman" is less controversial due to the etymology of these words.
For a person to identify himself as ethnic Chinese and yet use "chink" as a moniker, I regret to say that I would likely find it doubly offensive, as to me it shows that person's ignorance of his own roots and his lack of respect for his own heritage. I'm not saying this to attack you since I don't know you, but it does raise red flags for me. I think it is good that you are seeking to understand the implications of choosing your nickname. I strongly urge you to discontinue using that nickname, but if you have a positive political statement to make to make by using this kind of a nickname, you need to craft your message carefully and clearly.
To me "chink" is not one of those double-edged words like "banana" and "ABC"(*) that might lose its pejorative meaning and becomes acceptable when used between Chinese persons. I would never use "chink" to describe myself, nor would I use it on my Chinese friends regardless of whether they had grown up in China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong or in the West.
(*) Even "banana" and "ABC" can be derogatory when used by a native Chinese person on a foreign-raised ethnic Chinese person who does not know much about his Chinese heritage. It depends on the context.
Source(s): I am Chinese, natively fluent in both Chinese and English, studied linguistics, and have personally been the victim of anti-Asian violence in North America in the late 1980s. - 9 years ago
"Chink" is a pretty offensive word; it's an ethnic slur originated in the mid-1800's directed towards Chinese immigrants. Most linguists think it either refers to whites making fun of the Chinese language ("ching-chang"); although, some people think it is slang for almond-shaped eyes.*
The term soon came to be a reference to all Asian immigrants.
I personally feel this term is offensive. It comes from xenophobic origins, and was used to keep Chinese people from assimilating into Chinese culture. If a (white) American were to call someone of Asian-descent a "chink," it would almost certainly be in a degrading way.
For example, very recently, ESPN magazine got in trouble to referring to the Taiwanese-American basketball player, Jeremy Lin (林書豪) as a "Chink in the Armor." This is a racially offensive reference and ESPN soon apologized.
http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/the_good_word...
That being said, language is flexible and always changing. However, if you are searching for a nickname, I sincerely suggest you look to other words.
*I have also heard that "chink" referred to the hammering of irons on steel; Chinese immigrants were integral to the building of the railroad.
Source(s): Slate: http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/the_good_word... Read Sucheng Chan's "Asian Americans: An Interpretive History" for some of the best work on the Asian diaspora ^^ - 9 years ago
It depends who you are saying it to.
Some Chinese people might find it offensive however if the Chinese person hangs out with people of different races, he or she might not find it offensive.
I am Chinese too and when my non Chinese friends use the word 'chink', I wouldn't find it offensive at all. Most will treat it as a joke. Also, if the Chinese person have no knowledge of the English language, he or she would not really understand that term.
- KjeonLv 49 years ago
Its a straight up racial slur invented by americans to call chinese. Its pretty much meant to be offensive. How offensive racial slurs are differs from person to person. If youve grown up in a relatively tolerant area and havent experienced a lot of racism, then i would totally understand if the word doesnt carry weight to you.
But, if youve grown up in a place where people throw around racist comments freely and often, it tends to become more of an annoyance. Theres some history to the word. Like other racial slurs, it has been used to imply that, based on skin color and appearance, a person is worth less.
I can understand if youre chinese and taking the word as some kind of identity thing or whatever, but its hard for me to see it as a positive thing. In my personal experience, I havent heard the word 'chink' ever used in a positive sense. Ive heard it yelled at me and my family members, despite not even being chinese. You probably know already, but theres a lot of nastiness that comes with racism, and its definitely not dead.
In your case, since youre chinese its probably not a problem if you use the word, BUT remember this: when some racist asshole uses the word as an insult, calling some asian person "you dirty chink" or similar, you dont want to be the example they use to defend themselves. One of the oldest tricks in the racist book is saying "its not offensive because i know someone whos <insert race> who is not offended by <insert racial slur>, so youre being oversensitive."
So just remember that what might not be offensive to you, and that you even want to adopt as part of your identity, is based on your personal experience and understanding of the history of the racial slur. But for others, it represents the ugliness of people devaluing others based on race. Seriously, casual racism against asians is not something i would personally want to add to.


