Laowai
/laʊˈwaɪ/noun
An informal English term, borrowed from Mandarin Chinese, for a foreigner, especially a non-Chinese person in China.
Did you know?The Chinese form 老外 combines 老, meaning “old” or a familiar prefix, with 外, “outside,” but speakers generally understand it as a colloquial label for a foreigner rather than “old outsider.”
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
老
“Old; elderly; also used in compounds and familiar forms of address”
Classical Chinese
Chinese
外
“Outside; external; foreign”
20th Century
Mandarin
老外 (lǎowài)
“A colloquial term for a foreigner or outsider”
Late 20th Century
English
laowai
“An English borrowing referring especially to a foreigner living or traveling in China”
Modern English
English
Laowai
“An informal term for a foreigner, particularly in Chinese contexts”