The place to ask China-related questions!
Beijing Shanghai Guangzhou Shenzhen Chengdu Xi'an Hangzhou Qingdao Dalian Suzhou Nanjing More Cities>>

Categories

Close
Welcome to eChinacities Answers! Please or register if you wish to join conversations or ask questions relating to life in China. For help, click here.
X

Verify email

Your verification code has been sent to:

Didn`t receive your code? Resend code

By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .

Sign up with Google Sign up with Facebook
Sign up with Email Already have an account? .
7
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
7

Q: How often do you hear the word "lao wai / wai guo ren" ?

How many times per day do you hear the word "laowai / wai guo ren" (foreigner)?

for me I hear those words 250 - 300 times per day

what about you?

8 years 36 weeks ago in  General  - China

 
Highest Voted
Posts: 7204

Emperor

9
9
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

about the same ,

unless I go out of the house then twice that indecision

Report Abuse
8 years 36 weeks ago
 
Answers (17)
Comments (13)
Posts: 7204

Emperor

9
9
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

about the same ,

unless I go out of the house then twice that indecision

Report Abuse
8 years 36 weeks ago
 
Posts: 3256

Emperor

1
1
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

It just means "foreigner", you are indeed a foreigner, what is wrong by calling you a foreigner ?

 

 

 

(Typical comment I get when I ask/complain about it)

Mateusz:

That's the annoying part, when they won't own up to the racist connotations, no matter how much you tell them it's offensive, highly exclusionary, and defines you by being perpetually "not one of us".

 

It could be a face thing. They don't want to admit that what they said is offensive, because then they would have to apologize, which is total face loss there. It's better to just try to bullshit you with a transparent lie.

8 years 36 weeks ago
Report Abuse

DrMonkey:

As for not seeing anything bad about it : it's simpler : "me, doing something wrong ? *ME* ? It's impossible. not me, I can't be wrong, ever".

8 years 36 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
8 years 36 weeks ago
 
Posts: 13

Governor

1
2
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

Why do they use it so much?  

coineineagh:

Because they're dim. Monkey see, monkey say.

8 years 36 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
8 years 36 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1198

Shifu

2
2
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

the troll is back ole

Report Abuse
8 years 36 weeks ago
 
Posts: 3868

Emperor

1
2
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

250-300 times per day? Methinks you are exaggerating slightly. 

iWolf:

If the MiL is staying over for a few days, I will hear gweilo about 200 times a day. I think she doesn't know my name and/or hates me/foreigners. Or all of the above. FiL just asks if I want another beer "Ah, ni you pijiu?" "shide" "Mmmmm" He's cool. MiL calls him terrible things I think becsuse the missus cringes a bit.

8 years 36 weeks ago
Report Abuse

Hotwater:

A pity you can't divorce the MIL. FIL sounds cool though :-)

8 years 36 weeks ago
Report Abuse

DaphneNJ:

iWolf, I wouldn't tolerate that in my own home. She doesn't have to like foreigners, but she should learn the name of the person whose paying for the food she's eating and the roof she's sleeping under- or at least call you the Cantonese term for son-in-law.

8 years 36 weeks ago
Report Abuse

Lord_hanson:

I agree with Daphne, just insult her back. Call her Da Lu Ren. If anyone tried that in my home they would be out in the street in no time.

8 years 36 weeks ago
Report Abuse

iWolf:

I'd have to care what she thinks and to respond in kind would reduce me to her level. Don't put pearls before a swine.

8 years 35 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
8 years 36 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1845

Shifu

2
2
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

A lot in Tianjin. I am currently visiting a small 3rd tier city at the nonent so they are more civilised than the Tianjinese, I have only heard it said twice over the course of a week. In Tianjin I hear it at least 5 times a day.

Report Abuse
8 years 36 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1198

Shifu

2
2
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

I was the only white guy in the city of about a million people for quite some time. Now there are four of us. So yes, I hear it a lot. I don't keep count.

gatoloco12:

are you an english teacher? Im saying because your nick have the word "teacher" in it.

8 years 36 weeks ago
Report Abuse

nzteacher80:

Are you Sherlock Holmes?

8 years 36 weeks ago
Report Abuse

nicholasba:

are u a retardado gato?

8 years 35 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
8 years 36 weeks ago
 
Posts: 127

Governor

2
2
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

What's really annoying is when I hear it outside of China. This summer there have been a large number of tour buses full of Chinese stopping in my town. While walking along the main street,,I've heard them commenting on the appearance of various "laowai ." 

 

Before anyone says I should be grateful for the money they bring in, they aren't here long enough to shop. All they seem to do is take a few selfies in front of the university. I believe they save their money for Woodbury Common outlets, where the buses also stop. The place is some kind of holy Mecca for Chinese shopping addicts.

DrMonkey:

I live in a very touristic city in Europe... The Chinese tourists, when speaking of anyone not in the group, often says "wai guo ren". No, no, totally not self-centered  ^^

8 years 36 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
8 years 36 weeks ago
 
Posts: 860

Shifu

4
5
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

I would imagine i would hear "gringo" a lot in Peru. Also i would hear a lot of violent ass farts flavored with beans and guacamole

Report Abuse
8 years 36 weeks ago
 
Posts: 20

Governor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

lao wai - few times per month
waiguoren - few times per week, maybe not every day, I don't know 
3 hours/day in the Beijing bus/metro 
and not always directly, sometimes people just talk about foreigners with no relation to me 
the thing is, I try not to listen, besides my face expression probably discourages people to make comments on me

Report Abuse
8 years 35 weeks ago
 
Posts: 267

Governor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

laowai, mostly in elevators (in a hush hush voice)... or on street, quite often actually. 

 

 

wai guo ren... few times a month.

 

and then there is one odd person in a month which sneak in with xin jiang ren ... probably because of the stubble and the fact that I am brown, I don't know!! But, I really don't care, though I enjoy the creep that sweep in the eyes of those who say that. surprise

Lord_hanson:

Haha, I also get mistaken for a Xinjiang ren many times. I want to buy one of those white hats they wear so I can scare Han Chinese.

8 years 35 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
8 years 35 weeks ago
 
Posts: 4495

Emperor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

everytime I say it.  lao wai seems useful to me to communicate that I'm talking about a non-chinese.  wai guo ren I usually get 60% understanding of what the heck I'm saying.  Lao wai like 100%.  meiguo ren they seem to understand too... like 90%+.

Report Abuse
8 years 35 weeks ago
 
Posts: 4935

Emperor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

Absolutely never. I'm deaf.

 

My wife hears it every other second, though.

Report Abuse
8 years 35 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1153

Shifu

1
1
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

never

Report Abuse
8 years 35 weeks ago
 
Posts: 2531

Emperor

2
2
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

At least a few times per day. It is almost a fool proof indicator of finding out which Chinese are uncivilized or uneducated.

Report Abuse
8 years 35 weeks ago
 
Posts: 211

Governor

1
1
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

Every day! Even when I am at home I often hear my neighbors talking about me (No lie). It's generally compliments and good stuff though!

Report Abuse
8 years 35 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1095

Shifu

4
4
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

Not so often in my area, more often on the outskirts of the city.

 

Ignore these fools, if they get really invasive give them a cold hard stare, I have been experimenting it recently and it works like a charm on every type of locals.

 

It makes them really uncomfortable because they assume that you understand what they say and realize that you are not here to joke around or more like being joked about.

 

Sure a cold hard stare might pass you as rude, so what? They are being rude too and don't give a fudge about hurting your feelings, why should you care the other way around.

Report Abuse
8 years 35 weeks ago
 
Know the answer ?
Please or register to post answer.

Report Abuse

Security Code: * Enter the text diplayed in the box below
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <img> <br> <p> <u>
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Textual smileys will be replaced with graphical ones.

More information about formatting options

Forward Question

Answer of the DayMORE >>
A:  "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "S
A: "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "Shenzhen agent can connect you with an employer, who's authorized to hire waigouren ... and can sponsor Z visa." It's not like every 10th person you meet in Shenzhen's hood can sponsor work visa ...  The only way to change from student to labourer visa is just a regular way by: 1. Finding an employer, who'll apply for an Invitation letter; 2. Exit China and apply for Z visa in your home country's Chinese embassy; 3. Enter China in 30-days after Z visa was stamped into your travelling instrument ...As I am aware, you won't be able to switch to Working permit by remaining in China....,so make ready for a return to your home .... -- icnif77