Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “gweilo” come from?

gweilo (English) comes from Cantonese 鬼佬, from Cantonese 鬼 — ghost.

gweilo (English): A white person in China, a man; a ‘foreign...

Definitions

  1. A white person in China, a man; a ‘foreign...

Ancestry of “gweilo”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Cantonese鬼佬—
2Cantonese鬼ghost
Every word from Cantonese 鬼 →