<p>My closer Chinese friends do use the terms 白人 and 白种人 neutrally in the same way we use "white people", but by and large I find Chinese people avoid these terms, and are set slightly on edge when I drop them casually into conversation. One friend told me she doesn't use 白人 because "听起来有种族歧视，不是吗?". Instead she and other Chinese usually use "美国人/法国人/英国人 etc." to indicate whiteness, but of course this can lead to some politically incorrect statements：</p>

<p>A: “你的朋友是华裔吗?” ("Is your friend ethnically Chinese?")
B: “不，她是美国人.” ("No, she's American.") [actually she's both]</p>

<p>Or this one:</p>

<p>B: “是不是美国人和黑人之间发生过很多冲突?” ("There have been many conflicts between Americans and black people, right?") [as if the two are separate groups]</p>

<p>In both examples, I'm fairly certain that the speaker is using "美国人" to mean "白人". Most Americans would take offense at this definition, because it subtly implies that non-whites are not true Americans, even if the speaker didn't mean it that way. Ironically, it is the avoidance of the term "白人", not its use, that causes the political incorrectness.</p>

<p>So, to answer your question, I think "白人" or "白种人" actually is the most neutral term possible for "white people", despite the fact that it seems to make most Chinese people slightly uncomfortable. Neutrality aside, 老外, 洋人, and 鬼佬 all refer to all Westerners, not just whites. And I don't think any Chinese people would self-identify as "白人" because of their skin color, except jokingly.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-04T18:38:00.100Z
Love this answer! The explanation is true and insightful.
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-05T16:02:41.550Z
When referring to white people in general, I feel that Chinese speakers would more often use "西方人". Otherwise as Gus said, the speaker would try to find out which country the person is from and refer to him or her by that.
Question Marks
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-27T04:14:04.610Z
Despite its political incorrectness, it's still a wide perception that Europeans and Americans are white, and non-whites are not as European/American as the white people. The sensitive political correctness isn't really a problem in China at all, LOL.
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-04T14:52:17.607Z
2013-08-04T14:52:17.607Z
Gus
<p>I can't speak to mainland usage, but in Taiwan 老外 doesn't actually mean "foreigner", it absolutely and definitely means "white person". You'll never hear anyone with a skin tone darker than light beige get called a 老外.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-26T23:07:29.240Z
How are black people called in Taiwan?
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-27T03:27:28.703Z
@user58955, I think that would be 黑人.
杨以轩
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-28T18:45:48.070Z
Yep, black people are 黑人。
Tetsuo
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-26T13:49:35.833Z
2013-09-26T13:49:35.833Z
Tetsuo
<p>In <strong>Mandarin</strong>, </p>

<p>the most proper and natural words are 白人，白种人，西方人. Other words like 白皮, 洋人 and 鬼佬 are more or less ironic or offensive. It would be a good idea not to use these words if you want to appear polite. In addition, 外国人 is an extensive word for foreigners, which is not necessarily negative but contains a sence of alienation. And 老外 is an emotional derived term for 外国人. </p>

<p>There is a term 黄种人 identifying Mongoloids but almost only used when making a comparison with Negroids or Europoids. Thus the short form 黄人 is a rather obesolete one. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-25T07:23:18.590Z
2014-05-25T07:23:18.590Z
huhu9001
<p>I would say 白人 is more colloquial, and also quite neutral at the same time. 白人 doesn't necessarily translated to White people, it is also referred to Caucasian by some native speakers. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-25T21:38:58.400Z
2014-05-25T21:38:58.400Z
ChineseHulu.com
<p>I think I sometimes heared people say 歐洲人 (European) vs 美國人 (American) which sounds very neutral to me as well. It would be kind of the same, here, as we refer to people from either China, Japan etc. (who we don't know for certain about where they're from, but somehow their appearance gives it away) as Asians，亞洲人. </p>

<p>With European vs American it would be an indication of how many oceans someone is away I think.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-27T09:39:23.533Z
2014-05-27T09:39:23.533Z
user76935
<p>Of the many years I spent in Guangzhou I was always said to be 白人 in terms of the color of my skin. My Chinese friends called themselves 黄人 or yellow skin. No PC involved, just straight facts.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T12:12:12.003Z
Did you really intend to use 百 "hundred" instead of 白 "white"? I'm guessing it was a mistake.
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 4.0
2013-11-07T23:28:51.887Z
2019-07-19T06:06:58.997Z
2019-07-19T06:06:58.997Z
John marlon
<p><em>西方人</em> would be the most neutral term I can think of.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-24T10:52:28.723Z
2014-05-24T10:52:28.723Z
Mou某
<p>老外 and 洋人 are the general terms for foreign people, not specific to white people. 老外 is more often heard in oral Chinese. In formal situations, 外国人is more likely used. 洋人 is a somehow out of date word, seldom used today. 鬼佬 has an implicit negative meaning, don't use it.</p>

<p>And yes, Chinese refers to white people as 白种人 or 白人. But the words are not often seen in self introduction. The Chinese are more interested in where people are coming from, like whether one is coming from France, India, or South Africa, etc. And I got to say this is not for foreign people only. When two Chinese met for the first time, the usual introduction often includes 我是山东人 or 我来自东北, etc.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-04T05:37:27.093Z
鬼佬 is often heard in Cantonese -- and it isn't derogatory in Cantonese (at least the speaker isn't aware of it).
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-04T05:43:09.703Z
@Stan I didn't know that, but [Wikipedia](http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B4%8B%E9%AC%BC%E5%AD%90) did say 鬼佬 or 洋鬼子 has negative meanings due to historical reasons.
Yu Hao
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-04T05:55:43.200Z
nice reference. In that wiki page, it says `很多以粵語作為母語的人於公衆地方，仍然用「鬼佬」一詞稱呼白種人或西方人，他們認為這詞不含貶義和爭議。` (Many Cantonese native speakers still call white people or western people 鬼佬 in public, and they don't think this word has any derogatory meaning.) That's what I experience in Hong Kong.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-04T23:23:50.407Z
You seem to have left out 高加索人.
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-05T02:39:38.997Z
@deutschZuid Right, but that word is too academical, I bet over half of the Chinese have no idea what 高加索人 means.
Yu Hao
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-05T05:17:50.900Z
Your statistic is highly arguable. Nevertheless I just pointed out for completeness's sake. I don't see anything wrong with including it here, since it is a neutral term and that IS what the OP is looking for.
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-05T08:25:46.210Z
I often call my Cantonese friends 死鬼佬 as a joke but I never use 鬼佬 in front of their parents or older ones. I once had someone tell me "我不讲白话" even though I was speaking Mandarin to them. Also I often hear 黑人 used interchangeably with  非洲人。
tao
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-11T17:15:30.663Z
@deutschZuid of course you are right, but when I hear the word 高加索, the things that pop up in my head(in order of time): Russia, Caucasus Mountains, freezing cold, salmon & trout. ;D
arax
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-11T23:11:52.263Z
@AlexSu lol.... well you'd really have to be familiar with its geography to come up with that!
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-24T03:43:58.503Z
In practice 老外 and 外国人 tend to refer to white people much more than they do people of other ethnicities. Personally I don't particularly like being called a 外国人, even less so 老外.
MHG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-04T05:24:23.480Z
2013-08-04T05:24:23.480Z
Yu Hao
<p>This is always a difficult topic because racial and ethnic identities are so complex, sensitive, and dynamic: what are the best (as in the most precise and neutral) terms for "White" people?  I've heard terms like 老外, 洋人, and 鬼佬.  Do Chinese also say 白人?  More precisely, I'd like to know any terms that could be used for anyone that self-identifies as "White" (could have origins in Europe, North Africa, West Asia, or any of their former colonies like here in America).  Many East Asians have skin that is as light as any European's; would they ever self-identify with a term that could be translated as "White"?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-08T03:35:55.530Z
We do have terms like "白人/白种人/白色人种", but for “黄种人”, we do not usually just say "黄人"
shuangwhywhy
<vocabulary>
Neutral Terms for "White People"
# Neutral Terms for "White People"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-08-04)

This is always a difficult topic because racial and ethnic identities are so complex, sensitive, and dynamic: what are the best (as in the most precise and neutral) terms for "White" people? I've heard terms like 老外, 洋人, and 鬼佬. Do Chinese also say 白人? More precisely, I'd like to know any terms that could be used for anyone that self-identifies as "White" (could have origins in Europe, North Africa, West Asia, or any of their former colonies like here in America). Many East Asians have skin that is as light as any European's; would they ever self-identify with a term that could be translated as "White"?

**Tags:** vocabulary

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: We do have terms like "白人/白种人/白色人种", but for “黄种人”, we do not usually just say "黄人"  

---

## 8 answers

### Answer by username_14 on 2013-08-04. Score: 13 | Accepted answer

老外 and 洋人 are the general terms for foreign people, not specific to white people. 老外 is more often heard in oral Chinese. In formal situations, 外国人is more likely used. 洋人 is a somehow out of date word, seldom used today. 鬼佬 has an implicit negative meaning, don't use it.

And yes, Chinese refers to white people as 白种人 or 白人. But the words are not often seen in self introduction. The Chinese are more interested in where people are coming from, like whether one is coming from France, India, or South Africa, etc. And I got to say this is not for foreign people only. When two Chinese met for the first time, the usual introduction often includes 我是山东人 or 我来自东北, etc.

> **Comments:**
> **username_15**: 鬼佬 is often heard in Cantonese -- and it isn't derogatory in Cantonese (at least the speaker isn't aware of it).  
> **username_14**: @username_15 I didn't know that, but [Wikipedia](http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B4%8B%E9%AC%BC%E5%AD%90) did say 鬼佬 or 洋鬼子 has negative meanings due to historical reasons.  
> **username_15**: nice reference. In that wiki page, it says `很多以粵語作為母語的人於公衆地方，仍然用「鬼佬」一詞稱呼白種人或西方人，他們認為這詞不含貶義和爭議。` (Many Cantonese native speakers still call white people or western people 鬼佬 in public, and they don't think this word has any derogatory meaning.) That's what I experience in Hong Kong.  
> **username_16**: You seem to have left out 高加索人.  
> **username_14**: @username_16 Right, but that word is too academical, I bet over half of the Chinese have no idea what 高加索人 means.  
> **username_16**: Your statistic is highly arguable. Nevertheless I just pointed out for completeness's sake. I don't see anything wrong with including it here, since it is a neutral term and that IS what the OP is looking for.  
> **username_17**: I often call my Cantonese friends 死鬼佬 as a joke but I never use 鬼佬 in front of their parents or older ones. I once had someone tell me "我不讲白话" even though I was speaking Mandarin to them. Also I often hear 黑人 used interchangeably with  非洲人。  
> **username_18**: @username_16 of course you are right, but when I hear the word 高加索, the things that pop up in my head(in order of time): Russia, Caucasus Mountains, freezing cold, salmon & trout. ;D  
> **username_16**: @AlexSu lol.... well you'd really have to be familiar with its geography to come up with that!  
> **username_19**: In practice 老外 and 外国人 tend to refer to white people much more than they do people of other ethnicities. Personally I don't particularly like being called a 外国人, even less so 老外.  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-08-04. Score: 15

My closer Chinese friends do use the terms 白人 and 白种人 neutrally in the same way we use "white people", but by and large I find Chinese people avoid these terms, and are set slightly on edge when I drop them casually into conversation. One friend told me she doesn't use 白人 because "听起来有种族歧视，不是吗?". Instead she and other Chinese usually use "美国人/法国人/英国人 etc." to indicate whiteness, but of course this can lead to some politically incorrect statements：

A: “你的朋友是华裔吗?” ("Is your friend ethnically Chinese?")
B: “不，她是美国人.” ("No, she's American.") [actually she's both]

Or this one:

B: “是不是美国人和黑人之间发生过很多冲突?” ("There have been many conflicts between Americans and black people, right?") [as if the two are separate groups]

In both examples, I'm fairly certain that the speaker is using "美国人" to mean "白人". Most Americans would take offense at this definition, because it subtly implies that non-whites are not true Americans, even if the speaker didn't mean it that way. Ironically, it is the avoidance of the term "白人", not its use, that causes the political incorrectness.

So, to answer your question, I think "白人" or "白种人" actually is the most neutral term possible for "white people", despite the fact that it seems to make most Chinese people slightly uncomfortable. Neutrality aside, 老外, 洋人, and 鬼佬 all refer to all Westerners, not just whites. And I don't think any Chinese people would self-identify as "白人" because of their skin color, except jokingly.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Love this answer! The explanation is true and insightful.  
> **username_4**: When referring to white people in general, I feel that Chinese speakers would more often use "西方人". Otherwise as Gus said, the speaker would try to find out which country the person is from and refer to him or her by that.  
> **username_5**: Despite its political incorrectness, it's still a wide perception that Europeans and Americans are white, and non-whites are not as European/American as the white people. The sensitive political correctness isn't really a problem in China at all, LOL.  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2013-09-26. Score: 6

I can't speak to mainland usage, but in Taiwan 老外 doesn't actually mean "foreigner", it absolutely and definitely means "white person". You'll never hear anyone with a skin tone darker than light beige get called a 老外.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: How are black people called in Taiwan?  
> **username_7**: @username_5, I think that would be 黑人.  
> **username_6**: Yep, black people are 黑人。  

---

### Answer by username_8 on 2014-05-25. Score: 3

In **Mandarin**,

the most proper and natural words are 白人，白种人，西方人. Other words like 白皮, 洋人 and 鬼佬 are more or less ironic or offensive. It would be a good idea not to use these words if you want to appear polite. In addition, 外国人 is an extensive word for foreigners, which is not necessarily negative but contains a sence of alienation. And 老外 is an emotional derived term for 外国人.

There is a term 黄种人 identifying Mongoloids but almost only used when making a comparison with Negroids or Europoids. Thus the short form 黄人 is a rather obesolete one.


---

### Answer by username_9 on 2014-05-25. Score: 2

I would say 白人 is more colloquial, and also quite neutral at the same time. 白人 doesn't necessarily translated to White people, it is also referred to Caucasian by some native speakers.


---

### Answer by username_10 on 2014-05-27. Score: 2

I think I sometimes heared people say 歐洲人 (European) vs 美國人 (American) which sounds very neutral to me as well. It would be kind of the same, here, as we refer to people from either China, Japan etc. (who we don't know for certain about where they're from, but somehow their appearance gives it away) as Asians，亞洲人.

With European vs American it would be an indication of how many oceans someone is away I think.


---

### Answer by username_11 on 2013-11-07. Score: 2

Of the many years I spent in Guangzhou I was always said to be 白人 in terms of the color of my skin. My Chinese friends called themselves 黄人 or yellow skin. No PC involved, just straight facts.

> **Comments:**
> **username_12**: Did you really intend to use 百 "hundred" instead of 白 "white"? I'm guessing it was a mistake.  

---

### Answer by username_13 on 2014-05-24. Score: 1

*西方人* would be the most neutral term I can think of.


---

