diff --git a/sphinx/builders/gettext.py b/sphinx/builders/gettext.py
index 8fffca948..f7a2c988f 100644
--- a/sphinx/builders/gettext.py
+++ b/sphinx/builders/gettext.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ from uuid import uuid4
 from six import iteritems, StringIO
 
 from sphinx.builders import Builder
-from sphinx.locale import pairindextypes
+from sphinx.domains.python import pairindextypes
 from sphinx.util import split_index_msg, logging, status_iterator
 from sphinx.util.console import bold  # type: ignore
 from sphinx.util.i18n import find_catalog
diff --git a/sphinx/domains/python.py b/sphinx/domains/python.py
index 6f3c27c89..95c10d4fd 100644
--- a/sphinx/domains/python.py
+++ b/sphinx/domains/python.py
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ from docutils import nodes
 from docutils.parsers.rst import Directive, directives
 from six import iteritems
 
-from sphinx import addnodes
+from sphinx import addnodes, locale
+from sphinx.deprecation import DeprecatedDict, RemovedInSphinx30Warning
 from sphinx.directives import ObjectDescription
 from sphinx.domains import Domain, ObjType, Index
 from sphinx.locale import _
@@ -44,6 +45,24 @@ py_sig_re = re.compile(
           ''', re.VERBOSE)
 
 
+pairindextypes = {
+    'module':    _('module'),
+    'keyword':   _('keyword'),
+    'operator':  _('operator'),
+    'object':    _('object'),
+    'exception': _('exception'),
+    'statement': _('statement'),
+    'builtin':   _('built-in function'),
+}  # Dict[unicode, unicode]
+
+locale.pairindextypes = DeprecatedDict(
+    pairindextypes,
+    'sphinx.locale.pairindextypes is deprecated. '
+    'Please use sphinx.domains.python.pairindextypes instead.',
+    RemovedInSphinx30Warning
+)
+
+
 def _pseudo_parse_arglist(signode, arglist):
     # type: (addnodes.desc_signature, unicode) -> None
     """"Parse" a list of arguments separated by commas.
diff --git a/sphinx/locale/__init__.py b/sphinx/locale/__init__.py
index 86bd1110b..bca13ef94 100644
--- a/sphinx/locale/__init__.py
+++ b/sphinx/locale/__init__.py
@@ -347,13 +347,5 @@ admonitionlabels = {
 # Moved to sphinx.directives.other (will be overrided later)
 versionlabels = {}
 
-# XXX Python specific
-pairindextypes = {
-    'module':    _('module'),
-    'keyword':   _('keyword'),
-    'operator':  _('operator'),
-    'object':    _('object'),
-    'exception': _('exception'),
-    'statement': _('statement'),
-    'builtin':   _('built-in function'),
-}  # Dict[unicode, _TranslationProxy]
+# Moved to sphinx.domains.python (will be overrided later)
+pairindextypes = {}
diff --git a/sphinx/util/nodes.py b/sphinx/util/nodes.py
index 9b1e81490..c17edce2f 100644
--- a/sphinx/util/nodes.py
+++ b/sphinx/util/nodes.py
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ from docutils import nodes
 from six import text_type
 
 from sphinx import addnodes
-from sphinx.locale import pairindextypes
 from sphinx.util import logging
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
@@ -240,6 +239,8 @@ indextypes = [
 
 def process_index_entry(entry, targetid):
     # type: (unicode, unicode) -> List[Tuple[unicode, unicode, unicode, unicode, unicode]]
+    from sphinx.domains.python import pairindextypes
+
     indexentries = []  # type: List[Tuple[unicode, unicode, unicode, unicode, unicode]]
     entry = entry.strip()
     oentry = entry