Jap

See also: JAP, jap, Jap., and jap.

Contents

English

Etymology

Shortened from Japanese, attested as a noun since 1872, and adjectivally since 1878. Compare Nip (shortened from Nippon).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʒæp/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æp

Noun

Jap (plural Japs)

1. (derogatory, ethnic slur) A Japanese person.
   • 1872, James Brooks, A Seven Months' Run, Up, and Down, and Around the World:

     Among our Japs on board are two returning from Italy, where they have been with silk-worms' eggs, on cards, to sell. This has become a great speculation, and the Japs are going into it with zeal. The Japs almost always—always when they can—take cabin passages ; the Chinese seldom, or never.

Synonyms

• Japanese (neutral; non-offensive)
• Nip (pejorative, ethnic slur)

Derived terms

• Japland

Related terms

• Japan

Translations

alternative term for Japanese

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: (derogatory) 日本鬼子 (zh) (Rìběn guǐzi), 小日本兒, 小日本儿 (Xiǎorìběnr), 小日本 (Xiǎorìběn)

• Dutch: Jap m or f
• Estonian: japs
• Finnish: japsi (fi)
• French: Jap (fr) m or f

• German: Japse (de) m
• Japanese: ジャップ (Jappu)
• Korean: 쪽발이 (ko) (jjokbari), 왜놈 (ko) (waenom), 왜족 (waejok), 짜개발 (ko) (jjagaebal)
• Portuguese: japa m or f
• Russian: (derogatory) япо́шка (ru) m or f (japóška), яп (ru) m (jap), джап m (džap)
• Spanish: japo (es) m, japa (es) f
• Thai: ยุ่น (th) (yûn)

Adjective

Jap (not comparable)

1. (derogatory, ethnic slur) Japanese; of or pertaining to Japan or its people.

Verb

Jap (third-person singular simple present Japs, present participle Japping, simple past and past participle Japped)

1. Alternative letter-case form of jap

Proper noun

Jap

1. (slang, ethnic slur) The Japanese language.
   • 2007, Les A. Murray, Fredy Neptune (page 239)

     He petered out under Pitty's savage look: Do you speak Jap? Do you understand the world from inside those bastards' slanty-eyed little head-lopping poem-writing minds?

   • 2012, Robert Conroy, Rising Sun

     He said it in Japanese, which surprised the boy and stunned Cullen.
     “You speak Jap?” asked Cullen.
     “Looks like it, doesn't it?”

References

Anagrams

• AJP, JPA, PJA, paj