Romani Terminology Masterpost
Roma |proper plural noun|
The term for the entire Romani diaspora. Also, can refer specifically to Romani populations of Eastern and Central Europe.
ex: the Roma are a diaspora from South Asia who settled throughout Eurasia and Europe
Romani |proper adjective|
An adjective describing cultures, traditions, and various things belonging to the Roma. Sometimes also used as a proper noun to refer to the entire diaspora.
ex: the Romani culture is diverse
Romany |proper singular noun|
The term for Romani communities who historically settled in the British Isles, some of whom also migrated to the Americas.
ex: a few Romany families live in our town
Sinti |proper singular noun|
The term for parts of the Romani diaspora that migrated to and settled in Western Europe, particularly in Germany, Austria, and Northern Italy.
ex: my cousin married a Sinti woman
Rom |proper singular noun|
The term for any ethnic Romani man; means “man” or “husband” in the Romani language.
ex: my uncle is a hard working Rom
Romni |proper singular noun|
The term for any ethnic Romani woman; often specifically refers to a married Romani woman and means “wife” in the Romani language
ex: my Romni makes the best sarma
Romanes |proper noun or adverb|
The term often used for the Romani language. It translates to mean “in a Romani way” and also used as an adverb in that manner.
ex: my aunt always makes sure she cooks Romanes
Romani Chib |proper singular noun|
Another term for the Romani language. It translates to mean “Romani tongue”.
ex: my Romani chib is poor
Romanipe | Romanipen | Romanimos | Romansago |noun|
Terms that refer to Romani culture and traditions. They are often translated to mean “Romani lifestyle” or “Romani-ness”, but tend to specifically refer to following Romani cultural traditions.
ex: my mother thinks wearing shorts goes against our Romanipe
Mahrime | Marime | Bizuzo | Maxado |adjective|
Terms that mean ritually impure or unclean. Respectively, they refer to going against strict purity traditions kept in many Romani communities, but in such a way that renders a person, object, or action ritually impure.
ex: eating horse meat is considered mahrime by most Roma
Gadzhe | Gadje | Gazhe | Gauzhe | Gorgers |noun|
Terms that literally translate to mean “non-Romani people”. They do not refer to any specific race or ethnicity, but rather any individual who is not ethnically Romani. None of these terms are inherently pejorative.
ex: my sister is dating a gadjo
Gypsy | A term that is considered a pejorative and offensive by most Roma. It stems from the false notion that Romani people came from Egypt and has many negative stereotypes associated with it. Although some Romani communities, particularly in the British Isles, have reclaimed the word, most Roma maintain that it is a slur.
Gitan | Gitano | Cigano | Exonyms used in France, Spain, and Portugal to refer to their respective Romani populations. While many Romani populations living in these regions have embraced these monikers as their own, they continue to fight the negative stereotypes often associated with them.
Cigan | Cigany | Chigan | Cygan | Cikan | Tsigan | Zigeuner | or any variant of “tsigan” | Terms that are largely considered very offensive by Romani populations living in Eastern and Central Europe. The term “tsigan” stems from the period of Romani slavery, which lasted over 500 years. Variations of the word were used specifically to refer to slaves of Romani ethnicity. These terms, in their respective languages, are often used to describe things or people that are considered, lower-class, or contemptible.
Ethnic Groups Related to the Roma:
Lom | A population of the Romani diaspora who settled in the Caucasus mountain region, particularly in Armenia. Their language is called Lomavren
Dom | A “sister” population of the Romani diaspora. The Domari people are historically related to the Roma, but began their diaspora prior to the Romani diaspora. The Dom settled mostly in the Middle East and North Africa.
Lori | not to be confused with the Luri or Lurs | A South Asian disaporic population who live in Iran and Pakistan. They are related to the Dom.
Zargari | A Romani-descended population who speak a Balkan Romani dialect, but settled in Iran.
Tater | Tattere | Tavringer | A distinct Romani population who have remained nomadic in Sweden and Norway for about 500 years. They are believed to be descended from Romanichal and Sinti populations, and are closely related to the Romani Kale of Finland.
Ethnic Groups not Related to the Roma:
Pavee | Also known as Irish Travellers, the Pavee are a nomadic population of ethnic Irish who reside primarily in England, but also in North America. Although they are often lumped under the umbrella term “Gypsy”, they are not ethnically Romani and have their own unique culture and language.
Jenische | Yenish | A nomadic population who live mostly in Western Europe, particularly Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium. While they are not ethnically or culturally Romani, their jargon contains numerous Romani and Yiddish words, suggesting a past close relationship to or intermarriage with Roma and Jews of the region.
Norwegian Travellers | Reisinde | not to be confused with Tater or Tavringer populations | A nomadic population of Indigenous Norwegians.
Scottish Travellers | Similar to Irish Travellers, but indigenous to Scotland. Scottish Travellers are a distinct nomadic population unrelated to the Roma or Pavee.
Quinqui | A nomadic population in Spain who claim to be ethnically distinct from Spanish Roma. Although it is speculated that the Quinqui community resulted from the intermarriage between Spanish Cale Roma, Spanish Muslims, and indigenous Spaniards, they consider themselves unique and ethnically unrelated to Spain’s Romani Cale community. However, their language does contain some Cale words.
