yanqui

English

Alternative forms

• Yanqui

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish yanqui, in turn from English Yankee, from Dutch (see more at said entry). Dated to 1914.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈjaŋkɪ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈjæŋki/, /ˈjɑŋki/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æŋki

Noun

yanqui (plural yanquis)

1. (sometimes derogatory) A citizen of the United States of America, as opposed to a Latin American.
   • 1985 February, Danny Kortchmar, “All She Wants to Do Is Dance” (track 7), in Building the Perfect Beast, performed by Don Henley:

     As we taxied down the runway / I could hear the people shout / They said, "Don't come back here, yanqui" / But if I ever do / I'll bring more money

Related terms

• Yankee

Spanish

Alternative forms

• yankee, yanki

Etymology

Borrowed from English Yankee, from Dutch (see more at said entry).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈʝanki/ [ˈɟ͡ʝãŋ.ki]

• IPA^(key): /ˈʝanki/ [ˈɟ͡ʝãŋ.ki] (everywhere but Argentina and Uruguay)
• IPA^(key): /ˈʃanki/ [ˈʃãŋ.ki] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /ˈʒanki/ [ˈʒãŋ.ki] (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

• Rhymes: -anki
• Syllabification: yan‧qui

Adjective

yanqui m or f (masculine and feminine plural yanquis)

1. Yankee (of, from or relating to the United States)

Coordinate terms

• estadounidense
• gringo
• norteamericano

Derived terms

• pitiyanqui
• Yanquilandia

Noun

yanqui m or f by sense (plural yanquis)

1. Yankee (native or inhabitant of the United States)

Further reading

• “yanqui”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025