jap JAP is both an acronym for Jewish American Princess and a racist slur for people of Japanese descent. The stereotype of the Jewish American Princess is, in some ways, no less damning. The character Cher Horowitz in the movie "Clueless" is the prototype of a JAP: rich, spoiled, shopaholic. While most princesses are enviable--regal, wealthy, and (at least in fairy tales) beautiful--the JAP is considered a far cry from traditional nobility. While the exact origins of the term are unclear, the term "JAP" appeared sometime during the post-World War II period. Acceptance of and success within the American Jewish community was growing. The open anti-Semitism in the days before the Holocaust had gone underground. Immigrants and their children were beginning to experience unparalleled growth. There was something uncomfortable about Jews becoming part of mainstream America. They had been persecuted and marginalized for so long that acceptance was not exactly smooth. Perhaps it was this unnerving transition that brought about the need for a new anti-Semitic stereotype. Epitomized by the title character of 1958's "Marjorie Morningstar" and Brenda Patimkin from Philip Roth's novella "Goodbye, Columbus," the stereotypical JAP is the overly-indulged daughter of a upwardly mobile father, looking to give his children all the opportunities he lacked. She's usually the proud owner of a Louis Vuitton bag, pin-straight hair due to a top-of-the-line flattening iron, a keen eye for a bargain, and a new nose courtesy of Dr. 90210. JAP is the little slur that could. Since its entrance into the lexicon, JAP has spawned a new generation of terms devoted to taking women down a notch. JAP has been popularized to such an extent that it's even making appearances in unexpected places. Claire Danes' character, Sookie Saperstein, in "Igby Goes Down" scoffs at being called a JAP and Frank Zappa wrote a song called "Jewish Princess." In the '90s, there was even a movie made called "B.A.P.S." starring Halle Berry as a Black American Princess.

Comments

[COOKIE]

cocka-doo - you're just some sick ******* who has their head stuck up their own ass! God, you're such friggin jerk!
Anyway, i've never heard anyone use the term 'jap' in scotland but i thoguht it was just a shortened way of saying japanese....

[Gee]

I'm half Japanese and when people say "Oh shes a jap" it doesn't hurt me at all we use it all the time.

[connie]

the THING by the named of cocka-doo i like to say to you that your comments on all this labels are the worst, everytime i am reading a comment of yours i am thinking how racist is this person and then i go down and it reads posted by cocka-doo, dude you need to see what year it is because the racist thing is soo retarded already to me it looks like you havent had a good experience with people of differ race.

[soleil]

I live in a very Jewish town and this label is used quite commonly. There are very rich, snobby girls where I live...and they happen to be Jewish. Sometimes I wonder if they even know what people are talking about when they murmur "What a jap".

[Cocka-Doo!]

I'd rather eat my own shit that be a slitty-eyed Japanese bastard... The only thing an Asian woman exists for is to be sodomised by me! On her knees, like a slut!

[angie]

I've never heard it being said about japanese people. And I got called a jap once by this random guy at the mall even though I'm catholic lol

[*]

Some ppl call Japanese 'japs' just randomly. They don't rlly mean it and I don't get insulted unless its on purpose to insult me.

[Tsuki]

My opinion on the Princess thing: If you want to call someone a spoiled bitch, it shouldn't have anything to do with race or religion. It should only have to do with the fact that the person is A) bitchy, and B) spoiled.

My opinion on the Japanese thing: If you're in MSN or something, or if you're writing something in shorthand, then I think it's fine to use "jap". If someone is trying to insult you and they call you a "jap" if you're Asian, well, that's both racist and stupid. It's racist because...well, they're trying to insult your race. And it's stupid because if you're being called a jap and you're Japanese, the person is stating a fact but trying to make it sound bad. If you're Chinese, or Korean, or of different Asian heritage and someone calls you a jap they're an idiot because they're assuming all Asians are the same. If someone does this and you feel upset, just remember that regardless of grades YOU ARE SMARTER THAN THEM.

[Frank]

I'm half Japanese, and if people I know use it, I don't care, I use terms like beaner, cracker, wigger, jap, etc... But I don't mean them in a derogatory way. Now if some random person calls me that, I'd beat the shit out of them.

[Emile]

I'm 25% Japanese, and Jap doesn't offend me. It's just a shortening of "Japanese", it's not based on any generalization or historical low-blow.
Ironically, I use jap in the jewish american princess sense all the time.

[Jade]

I'm really confused by this definition. I've never heard this word used to describe a rich, Jewish person.
I absolutely love Japan, I would never say anything racist about the Japanese, but I used "jap" all the time.
I don't mean it in an offensive way, it's just a shortening.
Like, I could say "I love jap music", I don't mean it to be deragatory, I just mean it to mean Japanese...

[sydney]

to be honest i was really pissed off when i heard this. im jewish and i live in a pretty wealthy town thats made up of about 85% jewish people and i cant tell you how many times ive been called a jap. and for anybody whos confused you obviously dont live in my town. we mostly use it 2 describe the people that live in the 3 million dollar houses in bel-air. also its used for the rich and or popular(usually in my town u have to b rich 2 even have a hope of being popular but theres exceptions) people at my school. im pretty popular and im definitely not a jap. to make it clear a jap is basically a jewish paris hilton who can pretty much get what she wants. people usually see them as bitchy spoiled brats. but where i live nobody even questions it. ive lived here since i was 3 and jap has been part of my vocabulary since i was old enough to talk.

[The Sockmonkey]

One area of town I used to live in had a LOT of Jewish people and I still never heard that term applied to them.

[claire]

ya u people havent heard it because jews r probably a minority in ur town. im a jew and my town is definatly full of japs.

[The Sockmonkey]

Umm...I've only heard "jap" as an insulting term for Japanese people. Please tell me that I'm not the only one really, really confused by this definition?

[Ash]

lmao. I've never heard this.

[Amber]

Um,.. where I live jap is a verb that means to snap off on somebody or start poppin off at the mouth. I've neva heard it used in this way

[PrInCeSs]

umm not to b rude or ant thing i am just bumb lol but can u explain i don't really understand then wat does jap mean?
thx

[PrInCeSs]

umm not to b rude or ant thing i am just bumb lol but can u explain i don't really understand then wat does jap mean?
thx

[Helaina]

In my school we use the word JAP to describe anyone, Jewish or not, who is "rich, spoiled, shopaholic." The name is so popular that out parents even know what we're talking a bout when we say "she's a jap." Even the japs know that they're japs.