<p>In bilingual and cross-cultural language learning contexts, the impact of facial cues on vocabulary recognition remains underexplored. This study investigated the effects of Chinese and Caucasian faces on word recognition among Chinese-English bilinguals. Participants completed a series of word recognition tasks accompanied by Chinese or Caucasian faces under controlled experimental conditions. We analyzed their reaction times and accuracy rates using mixed-effects models. The results revealed that Chinese faces facilitated faster reaction times and higher accuracy for Chinese real words, suggesting that congruent facial cues activate cultural identity and enhance cognitive efficiency. In contrast, Caucasian faces did not provide a similar advantage for English words, underscoring the asymmetry in the effects of cultural congruence across first and second language contexts. While overall pseudoword processing was minimally influenced by face type, Chinese faces specifically enhanced bilinguals’ performance of English pseudowords. Additionally, significant main effects emerged for both language (Chinese vs. English) and lexical type (real words vs. pseudowords), such that English words elicited slower reaction times and lower accuracy compared to Chinese words, reflecting the higher cognitive load involved in second language processing. Moreover, pseudowords generally led to faster reaction times and higher accuracy than real words. These patterns persisted even when accounting for facial cue variations, further highlighting the fundamental differences between L1 and L2 lexical processing. The findings contribute to the understanding of the dynamic interactions between cultural, linguistic, and cognitive factors in language learning contexts.</p>