English
laowai
Laowai comes from Mandarin 老外.
- Mandarinmodern老外literally ‘old outsider’
- Englishtodaylaowai
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Mandarinmodern老外literally ‘old outsider’
- Englishtodaylaowai
Every English word from Mandarin 老外
Today it means
noun A foreigner in mainland China or Taiwan, (particularly) a Western one.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Mandarin 老外 / laowai