老乡 meaning in English
fellow townsman; fellow villager; sb from the same hometown
Meaning of 老乡
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- fellow townsman; fellow villager; sb from the same hometown
How to use 老乡
People use 老乡 for someone from the same hometown, province, or even country when they meet far from home, such as at university or work in another city. It carries a warm, friendly feeling. Example: 我们是老乡，都是四川人。(Wǒmen shì lǎoxiāng, dōu shì Sìchuān rén.) We are from the same place, both from Sichuan.
老 (lǎo) means old or long-familiar, and 乡 (xiāng) means village or hometown. A 老乡 is someone from your old home village, a person who shares your roots.
Common mistake: Learners often think 老 here means the person is old, but a 老乡 can be any age. Also do not confuse 乡 (xiāng) with 香 (xiāng, fragrant), which sounds the same.
老乡 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
老 lǎo · prefix used before the surname of a per… · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
乡 xiāng · country or countryside · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 老乡.
| 老师 | lǎoshī | teacher |
| 老人 | lǎorén | old man or woman; the elderly |
| 老朋友 | lǎo péngyou | old friend; (slang) period |
| 老是 | lǎoshì | always |
| 老年 | lǎonián | elderly; old age |
| 老王 | Lǎo Wáng | |
| 老板 | lǎobǎn | boss; proprietor |
| 家乡 | jiāxiāng | hometown; native place |
| 老太太 | lǎotàitai | elderly lady (respectful); esteemed mother |
| 故乡 | gùxiāng | home; homeland |
| 老百姓 | lǎobǎixìng | ordinary people; the "person in the street" |
| 老头儿 | lǎotóur | see 老頭子|老头子[lao3 tou2 zi5] |
Questions about 老乡
What does 老乡 mean?
老乡 (lǎoxiāng) means "fellow townsman; fellow villager; sb from the same hometown" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 老乡?
老乡 is made of 2 characters: 老 (6 strokes), 乡 (3 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 老乡 an HSK word?
Yes. 老乡 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 老乡 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 老乡 is written 老鄉.
Can 老乡 be used to address a stranger?
Yes. In the countryside, people sometimes call a local farmer or villager 老乡 as a friendly form of address, even without sharing a hometown. It sounds rural and informal.
How big an area counts as 老乡?
It depends on context. In a foreign country, two people from anywhere in China may call each other 老乡. Inside China, it usually means the same province, city, or county.