Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gweilo

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.08 in modern English

Syllables
gwei-lo
IPA
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A white person in China, (particularly) a man; a ‘foreign devil’.

Colloquial

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Cantonese 鬼佬 (gwai² lou²), from 鬼 (gwai², “ghost”) + 佬 (lou², “guy, man”).

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

gweilos (plural) gwailo (alternative) kwailo (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

laowai gweipo

Synonyms

white person

Questions

What does gweilo mean?
A white person in China, (particularly) a man; a ‘foreign devil’.
Where does gweilo come from?
From Cantonese 鬼佬 (gwai² lou²), from 鬼 (gwai², “ghost”) + 佬 (lou², “guy, man”).

How to pronounce gweilo

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “gweilo”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “gweilo”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “gweilo” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.