long time no see (English)
Where does "long time no see" come from?
The exact origin of the phrase 'long time no see' remains unknown[1]. It is possibly a calque of Cantonese '好耐冇見' or Chinese '很久沒見' and '好久不见', with a most likely United States Chinatown origin or alternatively a British Far East origin such as Hong Kong[1]. Other alternative possibilities include a native American origin or a native coinage as pidgin, especially seen in cinematic portrayals of native Americans[1].
Open questions
- The exact historical origin of the phrase is unknown, with several competing theories including a Chinese calque, a native American origin, or a pidgin coinage. [1]
Ancestors
- 很久沒見 (Chinese)
- 好久不见 (Chinese)
Descendants and derived words
- sinaw (Cebuano)
- sinaw (Cebuano)
- sinaw (Cebuano)
- long time no hear (English)
Sources
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris