How to say “foreign” in Chinese
foreign, introduced from outside
“Foreign” in Chinese is 外来, wài lái: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
外来 is read wài lái: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “外来”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 外来. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 这座城市的外来人口很多zhèzuòchéngshìdewàiláirénkǒuhěnduōThis city has a lot of newcomers.
More words from the lesson “The big city and the trends of the times”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “foreign” in Chinese?
“Foreign” in Chinese is 外来, pinyin wàilái.
What does 外来 mean?
外来 (wàilái) means “foreign, introduced from outside”.
How do you write 外来?
外来 is 2 characters: 外 (wài) — outside; 来 (lái) — come. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 外来?
外来 is read wàilái. Tones: wài — fourth tone, lái — second tone. The page has an audio recording.
“foreign” in the lesson “The big city and the trends of the times”
This word is from the topic “Society” of HSK 6. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free