Ang mo

Ang mo
Hàn-jī	紅毛
Pe̍h-ōe-jī	Âng-mo͘
Literal meaning	red-haired
Tâi-lô	Âng-moo
IPA	a˧˥ŋ̍ mɔ

Ang mo (Chinese: 紅毛; pinyin: hóng máo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: âng-mo͘ / âng-mn̂g) or ang moh is a racial epithet describing white people, mainly in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, and sometimes in Taiwan and Thailand. It literally means "red-haired" and originates from Hokkien, a variety of Southern Min. The usage is similar to the Cantonese term gweilo (鬼佬, "ghost man").

Other similar terms include ang mo kow (Chinese: 紅毛猴; literally: "red-haired monkeys"), ang mo kui (Chinese: 紅毛鬼子; literally: "red-haired devil"), ang mo lang (Chinese: 紅毛人; literally: "red-haired people"). Although the term had some derogatory connotations, it has entered common usage in Singapore and Malaysia and refers to a white person or, when used as an adjective, Western culture in general.

Etymology and history

The earliest origin for the term ang mo could be traced to the contact between Hokkien (Min Nan) speakers in Southern Fujian province of China with the Portuguese people and Dutch people during the 16th and 17th century.

During the 17th century, Dutch people failed in their attempt to force their way into Fujian to trade in the 1620s during the Sino-Dutch conflicts and were called ang mo by the locals. the Spanish people and Dutch people had colonized Taiwan and the Spanish built Fort Santo Domingo in Tamsui, Taiwan. The Dutch later drove the Spanish out and seized the Fort which also became known as "City of the Red-Haired" (Chinese: 紅毛城; pinyin: hóng máo chéng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Âng-mn̂g-siâⁿ) in Taiwanese Hokkien. Dutch people were known in Taiwan as ang mo lang ("red-haired people") in Taiwanese Hokkien. This is most likely because red hair is a common trait among the Dutch. This historical term ang mo lang continues to be used in the context of Taiwanese history to refer to Dutch people.

The Chinese characters for ang mo are the same as those in the historical Japanese term kōmō (紅毛), which was used during the Edo period (1603–1868) as an epithet for (northwestern European) white people. It primarily referred to Dutch traders who were the only Europeans allowed to trade with Japan during its 200-year period of isolation. Portuguese and Spanish traders were in contrast referred to as nanban (南蛮), which is in turn cognate to the Chinese nanman and means "southern barbarians".

During the 19th century, Walter Henry Medhurst made a reference in his academic work A Dictionary of the Hok-Këèn Dialect of the Chinese Language that âng mô ("red haired"), generally applied to the English people. With the large migration of Hokkien people to South-East Asia, predominantly Malaysia and Singapore, the term ang moh became more widespread and was used to refer to white people in general.

Racial controversy

The term ang mo is sometimes viewed as racist and derogatory. Others, however, maintain it is acceptable, making it in some contexts a reclaimed word. Increasingly though, the term is used disparagingly, particularly in Singapore. Its usage has become unambiguously pejorative, a common ethnic slur usually directed at white people. Despite this ambiguity, it is a widely used term. It appears, for instance, in Singaporean newspapers such as The Straits Times, and in television programs and films. The term was used in the film I Not Stupid, in which when several employees in the marketing department of their company resented a particular white individual because they perceived that preference had been shown to him because of his race.

Derogatory context

In Singapore and Malaysia, the term ang mo sai (Chinese: 紅毛屎; literally: "red-haired shit") is a derogatory term used within the Chinese community for mocking other Chinese who are not able to read Chinese.

See also

• Gweilo
• Ang Mo Kio
• Mat Salleh

External links

• Definition from the Coxford Singlish Dictionary
• Definition from the Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English