# Word for foreigner in your language



## Jabir

Hello!

Does your language have a slanguish word for foreigner?

For example, in Brazilian-Portuguese (and in Spanish also) we say "gringo".
Gringo means everyone who is not from our country.

Thanks


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## rusita preciosa

I can't think of any general slang word for a foreigner in Russian. 
The normal (non-slang) word would be *иностранец */inostranets/ - lit. "other-sider". Of course we have various slang words that differ in rudeness and "derogatory-ness" for people from certain countries, but no general slang term.

Is the word Brazilian Portuguese same as in Spanish, where "gringo" is a white foreigner of Europen descent (probably Anglo-Saxon)? Or is it any foreginer? Would for example a Pakistani, a Botswanian or a Japanese be "a gringo"?


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## LilianaB

I thought Gringo was just for an American, from _Green grows the grass_.


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## Nonstar

Nowadays, in Brazil, _gringo_ refers to anyone who is a foreigner.


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## Jabir

Yes, but specially those from rich countries. I don't know, but I think it has to do with the "malandro" spirit of Latin-Americans, lol.
By the way, I believe japanese people are more likely to be called "japa", a monicker, due to the big number of Japanese descendants linving around here, me included!


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## rusita preciosa

Jabir said:


> Yes, but specially those from rich countries. I don't know, but I think it has to do with the "malandro" spirit of Latin-Americans, lol.
> By the way, I believe japanese people are more likely to be called "japa", a monicker, due to the big number of Japanese descendants linving around here, me included!



So, a person from sub-Saharan Africa would be a gringo too?


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## Nonstar

I thought the same as for the Japanese, Jabir. A guy from sub-Saharan Africa is a gringo to me. Anyone from abroad is a gringo to me. If I go to Rio, I become a gringo to me.


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## LilianaB

I do not think there is any slang word for a foreigner in Lithuanian or Polish. There is one in a Slavic dialect - Silesian: _gorol_, it is a foreigner, but in most cases not just any foreigner but a Polish person, although some may use it towards other nationalities too. I do not recommend its use. Any derogatory words towards other nationalities are not too noble. There are slang words in Polish to refer to particular nationalities, but I will not post them since there is nothing positive in them. Only a few nationalities have their representation in Polish slang. The main ones, if you ever spot them, so that you know they are derogatory words are: szwab, ruski and hanys.


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## Jabir

Oh, I don't think gringo is a derogatory word, unless you use it in a derogatory context.


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## DearPrudence

In *French*, we just have a "neutral" word "*un étranger, une étrangère*".


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## mataripis

In Tagalog: Foreigner= Dayuhan/ Dayong taga ibang bansa


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## ThomasK

In African languages often something like "mzungu"... 

Dutch: _vreemdeling _(_foreign-er_), buitenlander, but those are strictly speaking descriptive. My feeling is that they very easily get a negative connotation... And 'vreemde snoeshaan' (foreign nose/face-cock) is quite derogatory....


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## mataripis

mataripis said:


> In Tagalog: Foreigner= Dayuhan/ Dayong taga ibang bansa


I forgot, the exact Tagalog term is "Banyaga".


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## jana.bo99

Slovenian: Tujec (there is also a bit sticky word, I can't write here)

Croatian: Stranac


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## ancalimon

The word for foreigner itself is actually slanguish in Turkish.

It's yabancı. It comes from yaban meaning "uncivilized", "savage", "someone from uninhabited place, wilderness", "bestial".  yaban comes from Turkic "yafa, yava, yawa" meaning a couple of things some of them being "desolate, forsaken, lost".  I think we also share this word with Persian like most of the other words in Turkic languages but I don't know the etymology of the Persian word.


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## apmoy70

I can't think of any name in Modern Greek.
In ancient Greek, it was «βάρβαρος» ('bărbārŏs, _m._) a pejorative/slangish word reserved for foreigners. It derives from the unintelligible to the Greeks, sound of foreign speech--> bar-bar.


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## aruniyan

The root of this word  foreigner can be seen from these Tamil words....
"Piran" (Other's)
Pira (Other, external)
Piri (Separate, Split)
Pirantha ( Birth)


Foreigner = Pira Naatinar (Other nation men)


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## sakvaka

The *Finnish* term is _ulkomaalainen_. It consists of the parts _ulko-_ (extra-, 'outside'), _maa_ (land, country) and _-lainen_ (the usual inhabitant derivation suffix; _intialainen_, Indian, _saksalainen_, German etc).


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## LilianaB

There are two words for a foreigner in Lithuanian, not slang words: svetimsalis and kitakilmas. Svetimsalis is composed of the word foreign and land -- salis, country also. Kita kilmas comes from kita- other and kilme- origin, blood, clan. Svetimas is also a guest, a word related to the first one.


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## ancalimon

ancalimon said:


> The word for foreigner itself is actually slanguish in Turkish.
> 
> It's yabancı. It comes from yaban meaning "uncivilized", "savage", "someone from uninhabited place, wilderness", "bestial".  yaban comes from Turkic "yafa, yava, yawa" meaning a couple of things some of them being "desolate, forsaken, lost".  I think we also share this word with Persian like most of the other words in Turkic languages but I don't know the etymology of the Persian word.



Actually when I think more about it, it could be related with "yaya", "yayan" meaning "someone on foot", "someone not riding a horse". In old Turkic culture, anyone who lost his horse would be considered dead, lost, forsaken.


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## er targyn

Kazakh: шетел адамы (shetel adamy); шетелдік (sheteldik); жат елдік адам (zhat eldik adam). Alien - zhat.
Uzbek: chet odam. Alien - yot.


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## belgavox

In Esperanto, we usually stick with 'fremdulo' (for men) or 'fremdulino' (for women).


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## OneStroke

Chinese:
(Including Cantonese): 外國人 waiguoren is the neutral word.

Most derogatory Chinese words referring to foreigners is about white people (e.g. 洋鬼子 (Putonghua) - foreign devil, 鬼佬/婆(Cantonese) - devil man/woman). However, it isn't uncommon to insult a foreigner with our wide array of words meaning 'barbarian'. Before the First Anglo-Chinese War, all non-Chinese people were considered barbarians.


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