By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
Q: "laowai" or "laowais" when using plural in English??
Just a simple grammar question, related to language transfer into English... given that in Chinese, it's basically plural (on its own, without 'yi ge').
11 years 10 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
I guess it remains as laowai because it's a Chinese word and they don't have plural versions of stuff.
It's an adjective meaning outside. How can it be pluralised?
mArtiAn:
I think the literal translation is 'old (lao) outside (waimian)' but it is certainly a noun. Chinese remember, it's not following English rules of grammar.
I have no idea if there is a real rule to cover this, but the first word that popped into my head that has similar ending sound is "Cacti", and that is plural... just the sound though, not saying that we are all pricks
My Mandarin is quite fluent, laowai is singular and plural; I could call myself-as I often do- 'a laowai.' Or I can refer to all the foreigners in the area as 'laowai.'
I vote for the singular "Laowai" or equally so "Waiguoren" or "Gweilo" if you're down in Canton. Adding an "s" for plurals doesn't seem to do the trick.
There is no plural suffix in Chinese. That being said you're using it in an English sentence so adding the "s" isn't necessarily wrong.
hey hey don't call me laowai
why why you call me waigouren
I'm Alan not an alien
I too have an honorable family name
Add s for the plural
There are several cities called Taizhou so there are several Taizhous
