Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “long time no see” come from?

long time no see (English) comes from English chop-chop, from Cantonese 速速.

long time no see (English): I have not seen you for a long time

Definitions

  1. I have not seen you for a long time

Ancestry of “long time no see”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishchop-chopUsed to urge someone to do something quickly;...
2Cantonese速速—
Every word from Cantonese 速速 →