chink

thumb|A racist postcard by Fred C. Lounsbury, promoting the idea of the Yellow Peril (1907)|alt=An angry caricatured Chinese male face with spiny facial hair and a snake-like tail. Beneath is a five-line poem which begins, "He's a Yellow Peril Chink of surprising versatility."

Chink may be used as a English-language ethnic slur usually referring to a person of Chinese descent, but also used to insult people with East Asian features. However, "chink" is also a legitimate English noun according to Merriam-Webster describing: (1) a small cleft, slit, or fissure; (2) a weak spot that may leave one vulnerable; or (3) a narrow beam of light shining through a chink. It is also used as a verb where "chinking" describes caulking cracks and slits in construction work as building log houses.