Ang mo

Ang mo
Hàn-jī	紅毛
Pe̍h-ōe-jī	Âng-mô͘
Literal meaning	red-haired
Tâi-lô	Âng-môo
IPA	aŋ˧ mɔ̃˧˥

Ang mo (Chinese: ; pinyin: hóng máo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: âng-mô͘ / âng-mn̂g) or ang moh is a racial epithet describing white people, mainly in Malaysia and Singapore, and sometimes in Taiwan. 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 (紅毛猴; "red-haired monkeys"), ang mo kui (紅毛鬼; "red-haired devil"), ang mo lang (紅毛人; "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.

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.

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Wikipedia