So 老外 pinyin ：laowai is absolutely a good word if you just consider the word itself, because polite or impolite depends on the context and speaking tones not 老外. 老外 - foreigner 洋人 - westerner Why does each individual character mean? When I combine the definitions, it doesn't make much sense. Also, which one is more common? Does 老外 mean a foreigner who is from the standpoint of the speaker? So is it OK to call Spainard as 老外 even if the speaker lives in Spain, as long as the speaker is not Spainard? Yes … 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 … In Chinese internet languages, some English words appears. But the meaning is totally different from the original English meaning, just like the following 你不准参加impart 开impart怎么不带 …