Meanings
nounlaogai (usually uncountable, plural laogais)
plural laogais
- uncountableusuallyThe use of prison labor and prison farms in the People's Republic of China.
Ethan Gutmann (2010), Hacker Nation: China's Cyber Assault, archived from the original on 16 May 2010: “The 6-10 Office also created fake refugees—young, trained to mimic Falun Gong behavior, and holding paperwork confirming time spent in laogai, China’s penal system.”
- uncountableusuallyThe prison itself.
Origin
From Mandarin 勞改／劳改 (láogǎi, literally “labour rehabilitation”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 勞動改造 /劳动改造, 勞改 /劳改
- 勞動改造 /劳动改造 (láodòng gǎizào)Translations
- 勞改 /劳改 (láogǎi)Translations
French laogai
- laogaiTranslations
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
laogai. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/laogai
MLA
“laogai.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/laogai. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “laogai,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/laogai.
Source: laogai on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.