The use of the derogatory term Pajeet has grown online since it was first coined on a 4chan board in the mid-2010s.

Often used alongside a rude caricature of an Indian man, the origins of the term are still unknown to many, given that it isn't always necessarily used in a denigrating fashion.

Here's a recap of where the phrase originated and how it spread to other parts of the internet in the early 2020s.

Where Does The Term 'Pajeet' Come From?

The term "pajeet" is generally understood to have originated from a discussion on 4chan's /int/ or "international" board in July 2015. On July 25th, a user posted an edited version of the Mehmet, my son meme to criticize Indians for their supposedly dire open defecation statistics.

How Has The Term 'Pajeet' Been Used Online?

Some early uses of the term "pajeet" can be seen in a Civilization meme featuring Gandhi, posted to KnowYourMeme in February 2017. And despite its origins, the word "pajeet" is not always used as a slur, as seen in a Future Compass meme posted to 4chan's /pol/ board in 2019.

Discussions about the growing use of the term online in the 2020s led to some meme pages commenting on the word's derogatory origins, as seen in an October 2023 post by Instagram meme page @raitaposting.

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For the full history of the term pajeet, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.