kuli

Kuli is a term used in several Hindustani languages to denote a laborer or worker, particularly a manual laborer or porter. The form kūlī is the original spelling in Hindi and Urdu, from which the English word coolie is derived. In colonial contexts, coolie described unskilled migrants contracted to work on plantations, railways, mines, and other colonial enterprises in Asia, the Americas, and Africa. The term carried associations with long journeys and often harsh working and living conditions, and it is now widely regarded as outdated or offensive in many contexts. Modern usage favors descriptors such as migrant worker, laborer, or specific occupations, with attention to consent and status.

Linguistically, kūlī reflects the broader Indo-Aryan word formation for labor and may appear in various spellings in regional languages. In contemporary everyday speech, kuli can still be used neutrally to mean "worker" in some dialects, though in formal writing it is generally avoided due to colonial-era associations.

Kuli is also encountered as a surname or place-name in some regions, though such uses are less common and often unrelated to the labor term. In scholarship, the history of the term is discussed in studies of indentured labor, migration, and the cultural impact of colonial labor systems.