foreign

Compared meaning: from a foreign country, different from one's own (adjective).

比较义项：来自异国、与本国不同的（形容词）。

• foreign 本词

  The everyday, neutral term for anything from another country; used broadly for people, languages, policies and goods, with no special emotional color.

  日常中性词，泛指来自其他国家的人、语言、政策或商品，不带特殊感情色彩。

  Foreign students make up a third of the university's population.

  外国留学生占该大学学生总数的三分之一。

• alien

  More formal and stronger than foreign; suggests something strange, unfamiliar or not belonging, often with a negative or unsettling feel; used for environments, customs or ideas.

  比foreign更正式、语气更强，暗示某事物陌生、不熟悉、格格不入，常带负面或令人不安的感觉，多用于描述环境、习俗或观念。

  The desert felt like an alien landscape to the sailors.

  对水手们来说，这片沙漠如同一片陌生怪异的异域景观。

• exotic

  Emphasizes excitement and novelty in something from a distant foreign country; used positively for food, plants or places that seem colorful and unusual.

  强调来自遥远异国的新奇感和吸引力，常用于描述食物、植物或地方，带有多彩有趣的正面色彩。

  The market sold exotic spices imported from Southeast Asia.

  市场上出售从东南亚进口的异域香料。

These three mean from another country, but differ in tone. Foreign is neutral and common. Alien is stronger and formal, suggesting something strange or unsettling. Exotic is positive, describing something excitingly unusual, like food or plants. Not compared: alien meaning a being from outer space.

这三个词都能表示“来自外国的”，但语气和用法不同：foreign最中性、最常用；alien语气更强、更正式，常带陌生或令人不安的意味；exotic强调新奇有趣的异域色彩，多用于食物、植物等。这里不比较alien作名词表示“外星人”的用法，也不比较alien to sb这一固定搭配。