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Keling () or Kling is an exonym to denote a Tamilian or someone deemed to have originated from South India. Originally a neutral term, since the mid-20th century it has been considered derogatory term and an ethnic slur, and it is sometimes euphemistically referred to as the K-word. The term is used in parts of Southeast Asia, particularly the Malay Archipelago where there are a significant Tamil diaspora specifically Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei but cognates exist in neighbouring countries as well.
Although the early definition was neutral and linked to the historical Kalinga kingdom, it is now generally considered offensive by Indians in Southeast Asia. In Brunei, the word Kaling was not considered to be pejorative, but due to media influence from Malaysia, the majority of Bruneians now tend to avoid using it. In modern usage it is not commonly capitalised. The term has also been used based on skin tone (colourism) whereby it is more likely to be used against visibly darker-skinned Indians.
While this was apparently sometimes localized as Kalingga (as in the Indonesian Kalingga Kingdom), the terminal schwa sound was dropped in common usage to form Keling. Though ostensibly denoting the Kalinga kingdom, the term Keling in ancient Southeast Asia came to be a more general term for India and its people. The Khmer language word Kleng (ក្លិង្គ) derived from the same root. Prior to the introduction of the English word "India", Keling and Jambudvipa were used to refer to the country in the Malay and Indonesian, while Benua Keling referred to the Indian Subcontinent.
The Dutch used the words "Clings" and "Klingers" to refer to the Indian inhabitants of Malacca. The British colonial writings also use the word "Kling" to describe the immigrants from Gujarat Presidency and Coromandel coast. John Crawfurd (1856) mentioned that the term "Kling" was used by the Malays and the Javanese as "a general term for all the people of Hindustan (North India), and for the country India itself".
The 16th-century Portuguese traveller Castanheda wrote of the Keling community in Melaka in the period between 1528 and 1538:
In the northern part of live merchants known as Quelins Klings; in this part the town is much larger than at any other. There are at Malacca, many foreign merchants ...
In its early usage Keling was a neutral term for people of Indian Muslim origin, but was perceived negatively beginning in the 20th century due to various socio-political factors. From the mid-1900s, words denoting ethnic origin were used derogatively in Malay to imply immigrant status. Consequently, more neutral language was adopted. This can be observed in the book Cherita Jenaka, where the term orang Keling (Keling people) in the 1960 edition was changed to orang India Muslim (Indian Muslim people) in the 1963 edition.
The phrases Keling-a (Hokkien; 吉寧仔; POJ: Ki-lêng-á), Keling-yan (Cantonese; 吉寧人; Yale: gat-lìhng-yan),(Hakka language; 吉靈仔 git-lin-zai); and Keling-kia (Teochew dialect) are frequently used within the Chinese community in Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore. The Hokkien and Teochew suffixes -a and -kia are diminutives, oftentimes used to refer to children, while the Cantonese "-yan" means "people".
In some modern cases Keling is used as a derogatory term. It was used in 2005 by Members of Parliament in Malaysia because of misconception about Indian Muslim ethnics, which resulted in an uproar accusing the MPs of racism.
The definition of the word may vary from one Malaysian state to another. In Kedah, for example, the term is mainly used to refer to Muslims of Indian descent (In Selangor, the word Mamak is used to refer to an Indian Muslim).
During the 2025 Singaporean general election, Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) candidate Gigene Wong called her fellow SDP candidate Ariffin Sha a "keling kia", believing it to be a "neutral term that Hokkien speakers use to refer to Indians", during a campaign rally. The public took offence to the derogatory term and Wong acknowledged and apologised for her use of the term with the SDP issuing a public apology at the end of a campaign rally.
In Penang, the Kapitan Keling Mosque, situated on the corner of Buckingham Street and Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling (Pitt Street), is one of the oldest mosques in George Town. Various other Penang Hokkien street names contain the word Keling, e.g. Kiet-leng-a Ban-san (Chowrasta Road), Kiet-leng-a Ke (King Street/Market Street). In Malacca City, another mosque also uses the word Kling, Kampung Kling Mosque.
In Singapore, there is a road in Jurong Industrial Estate called Tanjong Kling Road which is probably derived from the word 'Keling'. Chulia Street was formerly known as Kling Street.
In Jepara Regency, Central Java, Indonesia, there is a district called Keling. Locals link the location with the 6th century Kalingga Kingdom. In Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, there is a place called Pacar Keling meaning "Keling lover". The words "Kampung Keling" (Lit. Keling Village) Is also commonly used by the locals on various cities across Indonesia the denote an Indian settlement both during the Colonial era and within modern day Indonesia.
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