Any question answered...

I know it's not right to call Asian folks gooks, but the Asian ''squint'' looking eyes are in English called gooks right?

Nice to see you on here Prince Philip.

WHY THE FUCK CAN'T YOU JUST CALL THEM ASIAN PEOPLE?

Gooks are people too FFS, and customarily refers to enemy combatants in 'Nam and the locals in the Philipines and other nearby places where the US forces have been based.

Chinese people are not typically gooks. I would expect a different racist term to be applied to Japanese people.

I wasnt looking for a word for asian people but a non prejorative word for their almond shaped eyes. Boy that escalated quickly.

You guys. He's asking an honest question about the right words to use, in what isn't his first language. That he's only able to ask by using the offensive terms in the first place is really a failing of crappy online dictionaries for not giving him many other options. It's better that he actually asks what's right than to just go up to an asian and earnestly call them a "slitty-eyed gook" so he gets a punch on the nose for being a massive racist.

Woah, come on. The guy's Dutch and Google translate has made him accidentally racist.

Thanks bothwell. Rep coming your way.

looking for a non prejorative word for their almond shaped eyes.

I'm struggling to imagine the conversation where you'd need such a word and I wouldn't be struggling not to ragequit.

^^
I just Googled "descriptive of asian eye shape".
Almond-shaped seems to crop up a fair bit.

Does anyone have any popcorn?

Just in case anyone was in any doubt that racism and ignorance are comfortable bedfellows.
I wasn't sure if these comments were aimed at mine or not. Having done some further research, I'm coming to the conclusion that not all Asians have almond-shaped eyes, and not all people with almond-shaped eyes are Asian, though there does seem to be a certain degree of correlation in terms of popular perception.
In light of this, I'll cop for a charge of perpetuating lazy stereotypes.

WHY THE FUCK CAN'T YOU JUST CALL THEM ASIAN PEOPLE?

Or, can I be so bold to suggest, just "People."

Racist.

Let just narrow it down to animated object.

Or, can I be so bold to suggest, just "People."

Because then his question wouldn't make sense!

Q: "what's the right word to describe the shape of people's eyes"
A: "eye-shaped"
Q: "yeah yeah, but not those people! Those people!"
A: "which people? what?"

Facepalm at this whole conversation. Anyway. Machine. There isn't really a direct translation other than the technical term (that Dammit's posted) because (as Emyr suggests) it's not something that most of us have ever felt the need to describe in English. That's why you're not getting a straight answer. If you do definitely need a description in English then just use the technical term but bear in mind nobody will know what you mean without looking it up themselves.

You guys. He's asking an honest question about the right words to use

You must be new here

Because then his question wouldn't make sense!

Q: "what's the right word to describe the shape of people's eyes"
A: "eye-shaped"
Q: "yeah yeah, but not those people! Those people!"
A: "which people? what?"

Ah, but the person asking the question can then pull this face to help:

I'm struggling to imagine the conversation where you'd need such a word and I wouldn't be struggling not to ragequit.

It's for writing, not conversating. Should make more sense then..

I keep getting cramp in my feet recently. What am I doing wrong?

The Cramps - "Cramp Stomp" - YouTube

WHY THE FUCK CAN'T YOU JUST CALL THEM ASIAN PEOPLE?

Cos there's lots of Asia that isn't "oriental"?

I've lost count of the times I've had to clarify someone else's statement with:

point at self Me Asian or point at randomer him Asian?

Family Guy - God Present the Asians - YouTube

Cos there's lots of Asia that isn't "oriental"?

you called?

Cos there's lots of Asia that isn't "oriental"?

I've lost count of the times I've had to clarify someone else's statement with:

point at self Me Asian or point at randomer him Asian?

He's trying to avoid the ambiguity by focussing on an arbitrary visible difference which isn't actually restricted to people in that bit between Siberia and Fiji...

Hard to recommend a less stupid, less generalistic term without knowing what sensible context it's to be used in.

Get me, I'm european.

Caucasian.

Probably.

you called?

Namaste

Caucasian.

Me too: -

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Meyers_b11_s0476a.jpg

(which is why people trying to be polite and saying caucasian when they mean white end up sounding a bit dense.)

My dentist put me down as "White Irish" yesterday, which caused him no end of merriment.

I just sat there, trying not to dribble.

I thought we stop culling the irish years back. your dentist must be old school.