Etymology

From Cantonese 鬼佬 Traditionally translated as "foreign devil", but more literally "ghost chap". "Ghost" refers to white skin. A 佬 is regular guy, a chap, dude, or bloke.

Usage notes

For the usage in Cantonese, see the usage notes at 鬼佬.

Some Caucasians living in Hong Kong now occasionally use the English gweilo to jokingly refer to themselves.

In the Hong Kong cinema industry, gweilo is often used to describe Caucasian actors playing in Asian movies.