long time no see (English)

Where does "long time no see" come from?

The origin of 'long time no see' remains a topic of debate, but it is widely believed to be a direct translation of Chinese phrases like 'hǎojiǔbùjiàn.' It likely emerged as a form of pidgin in settings such as U.S. Chinatowns or British colonial outposts in East Asia. Alternatively, some theories suggest it may have been popularized in early 20th-century media as an exaggerated representation of Native American speech.

Full etymology tree

• long time no see (English), 'I (or we) have not seen you for a long time.'
  • calque 好耐冇見 (hou2 noi6 mou5 gin3) (Cantonese)
  • calque 很久沒見 (hěnjiǔméijiàn) (Chinese), 'long time no see'
  • calque 好久不见 (hǎojiǔbùjiàn) (Chinese)

Direct ancestors

• 很久沒見 (Chinese)
• 好久不见 (Chinese)

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris