Ang mo, or ang moh, is a racial descriptor used to refer to white people that is sometimes seen as a pejorative epithet. It is mainly used in Singapore and Taiwan, and to a lesser extent Malaysia 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, which is more commonly used in Hong Kong and Macau. Other similar terms include ang mo kow, ang mo kui, ang mo lang. Although the term has historically had some derogatory connotations, it has entered common parlance as a neutral term, where it refers to a person of European descent 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 speakers in southern Fujian with the Portuguese Empire and Dutch East India Company during the Haijin period in the 16th and 17th century. During the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company failed in its 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 Dutch East India Company and then the Spanish Empire had colonized Taiwan and the Spanish built Fort San 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" in Taiwanese Hokkien. Dutch people were known in Taiwan as ang mo lang 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, which was used during the Edo period as an epithet for white people. It primarily referred to Dutch traders who were the only Europeans allowed to trade with Japan during the Sakoku, its 200-year period of isolation. Portuguese and Spanish traders were in contrast referred to as, 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 workA Dictionary of the Hok-Këèn Dialect of the Chinese Language that âng mô, generally applied to the English people. With the large migration of the Hoklo south, mostly to Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, 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 by Caucasians. Others, however, maintain it is acceptable, making it in some contexts a reclaimed word. Despite this ambiguity, it is a widely used term, at least among non-Westerners. 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, 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 Taiwan, and to a lesser extent among Chinese Malaysians, the term ang mo sai is a derogatory term used within the Chinese community for mocking other Chinese who are not able to read Chinese, as they are seen to have abandoned their Asian cultural identity or lost touch with it in order to adopt a Western one.
