BANANA

What Does BANANA Mean in a Text?

The Quick Answer

Banana means "Westernized Asian Person" and "Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything/Anyone."

Westernized Asian Person

Because bananas are yellow on the outside and white on the inside, banana is used as an offensive term for ethnic Asian (e.g., Chinese, Malaysian) people who live in the West and conform to the culture and values of their adopted country, rather than those of their "homeland." Banana is not only used to insult first-generation immigrants, but also their offspring, who may have little or no experience of their ancestral culture.

Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything

BANANA is also an acronym meaning "Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything/Anyone." In this context, BANANA is most often used to criticize opposition to land development. BANANA is a pejorative term, similar to NIMBY ("Not In My Back Yard") and CAVE ("Citizens Against Virtually Everything").

Image for BANANA

When I write BANANA, I mean this:

BANANA is a pejorative term.

Summary of Key Points for First Definition

"Westernized Asian Person" (pejorative term) is a common definition for BANANA on Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

BANANA
Definition:	Westernized Asian Person
Type:	Word (Slang)
Guessability:	4: Difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

Summary of Key Points for Second Definition

"Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything/Anyone is another common definition for BANANA.

BANANA
Definition:	Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything/Anyone
Type:	Acronym
Guessability:	4: Difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Adults

An Academic Look at BANANA

When used with the meaning "Westernized Asian Person" banana is a slang word. Slang refers to words, phrases and uses of language that are regarded as very informal and which are often restricted to a special context or a particular group of users. When used with the meaning "Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything/Anyone" BANANA is an acronym (i.e., an abbreviation spoken like a word). Acronyms differ from initialism abbreviations, which are pronounced using their individual letters.