Gwai
/ɡwaɪ/noun
A Hong Kong English slang term, often derogatory, for a white or Western person.
Did you know?Gwai comes from Cantonese 鬼, meaning “ghost” or “devil,” and appears in the familiar expression gweilo, literally “ghost person.”
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, traditionally reconstructed
Old Chinese
*kˤujʔ
“A ghost or spirit; the reconstructed ancestor of later Chinese forms.”
Middle Chinese, c. 6th–10th century
Middle Chinese
鬼, kujX
“Ghost, spirit, or demon.”
Modern Cantonese
Cantonese
gwái (鬼)
“Ghost, devil, or—in colloquial usage—a foreigner, especially a white person.”
19th–20th Century
Hong Kong English
gwai
“A Western or white person; a shortened form associated with gweilo.”
Modern English
English
gwai
“Hong Kong slang for a white or Western person, usually carrying a derogatory tone.”