Eh! Laowai!

If you spend some time in China, you will hear this word rather frequently.

On entering a restaurant or walking the streets, Chinese people will very often alert their friends that there are some ‘loawai’ about (that means you!), which is often accompanied by a pointed finger in your direction and a giggle.

Their intention is well meant and not derogatory, although for most foreigners this is usually taken slightly offensively and is definitely tiring to hear.

After some time, it can become quite annoying. Do not take it to heart. If you smile back and say ‘Ni Hao’ (hello) they’ll friendlily smile back to you. Better still, for some humour (and it shows they’ve been rumbled) if you hear them say ‘laowai’ you can point to yourself and call yourself a ‘laowai’ loud enough that they can hear you.

This usually raises a laugh and gets the locals blushing – a very funny way of turning the tables. They adore this kind of banter and because they suspected you couldn’t speak a word of Chinese, so it’s a sudden and light-hearted surprise.