"Long time no see" is an English expression used as an informal greeting by people who have not seen each other for an extended period of time. The phrase is also acronymized as LTNS in Internet slang.[1]
Its origins in American English appear to stem from pidgin English,[2] and it is widely accepted as a fixed expression. The phrase is a multiword expression used within most varieties of Standard English.[3] It may derive ultimately from an English pidgin such as that spoken by Native Americans or Chinese, or as an imitation of such.[4]