Language/Mandarin-chinese/Vocabulary/Country-Names-and-Nationalities

◀️ Chinese and International Cities — Previous Lesson

Next Lesson — Tourist Attractions and Transportation ▶️

Mandarin Chinese → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Cities, Countries and Tourist Destinations → Country Names and Nationalities

Introduction

Welcome to the lesson on Mandarin Chinese vocabulary for country names and nationalities. In this lesson, you will learn common and less common country names and how to talk about nationalities in Mandarin Chinese. Understanding these words and phrases will be useful when you want to discuss different countries and their people. So let's get started and broaden our horizons!

Common Country Names

Here are some common country names in Mandarin Chinese and their pronunciations:

Mandarin Chinese	Pronunciation	English Translation
中国	Zhōngguó	China
美国	Měiguó	United States
加拿大	Jiānádà	Canada
英国	Yīngguó	United Kingdom
法国	Fǎguó	France
德国	Déguó	Germany
日本	Rìběn	Japan
韩国	Hánguó	South Korea
印度	Yìndù	India
巴西	Bāxī	Brazil
墨西哥	Mòxīgē	Mexico

Note: The names of some countries in Mandarin Chinese are based on their pronunciation in the native language. This can result in variations in romanization. For example, "China" is pronounced as "Zhōngguó" in Mandarin Chinese, but the English pronunciation is different. Similarly, "Japan" is pronounced as "Rìběn" in Mandarin Chinese.

Nationalities

To talk about nationalities in Mandarin Chinese, we use the pattern "国籍 + 人" (guójí + rén), which means "nationality + person." Here are some examples:

Mandarin Chinese	Pronunciation	English Translation
中国人	Zhōngguó rén	Chinese person
美国人	Měiguó rén	American person
加拿大人	Jiānádà rén	Canadian person
英国人	Yīngguó rén	British person
法国人	Fǎguó rén	French person
德国人	Déguó rén	German person
日本人	Rìběn rén	Japanese person
韩国人	Hánguó rén	Korean person
印度人	Yìndù rén	Indian person
巴西人	Bāxī rén	Brazilian person
墨西哥人	Mòxīgē rén	Mexican person

Note: In Mandarin Chinese, the word "人" (rén) means "person." When talking about nationalities, it is used after the country name to indicate the nationality of a person from that country.

Less Common Country Names and Nationalities

Now let's explore some less common country names and nationalities in Mandarin Chinese:

Mandarin Chinese	Pronunciation	English Translation
澳大利亚	Àodàlìyà	Australia
西班牙	Xībānyá	Spain
俄罗斯	Éluósī	Russia
阿根廷	Āgēntíng	Argentina
埃及	Āijí	Egypt
瑞士	Ruìshì	Switzerland
马来西亚	Mǎláixīyà	Malaysia
希腊	Xīlà	Greece
葡萄牙	Pútáoyá	Portugal
巴基斯坦	Bājīsītǎn	Pakistan
南非	Nánfēi	South Africa

Here are some examples of less common nationalities:

Mandarin Chinese	Pronunciation	English Translation
澳大利亚人	Àodàlìyà rén	Australian person
西班牙人	Xībānyá rén	Spanish person
俄罗斯人	Éluósī rén	Russian person
阿根廷人	Āgēntíng rén	Argentine person
埃及人	Āijí rén	Egyptian person
瑞士人	Ruìshì rén	Swiss person
马来西亚人	Mǎláixīyà rén	Malaysian person
希腊人	Xīlà rén	Greek person
葡萄牙人	Pútáoyá rén	Portuguese person
巴基斯坦人	Bājīsītǎn rén	Pakistani person
南非人	Nánfēi rén	South African person

Talking About Nationality

To ask about someone's nationality in Mandarin Chinese, you can use the question pattern "你是哪国人？" (Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?), which translates to "Which country are you from?" Here are some examples:

• 你是哪国人？ (Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?) - Which country are you from?
• 你是美国人吗？ (Nǐ shì Měiguó rén ma?) - Are you American?
• 你是法国人吗？ (Nǐ shì Fǎguó rén ma?) - Are you French?
• 你是日本人吗？ (Nǐ shì Rìběn rén ma?) - Are you Japanese?

To answer questions about nationality, you can use the pattern "我是 + <nationality> + 人" (Wǒ shì + <nationality> + rén), which means "I am + <nationality> + person." Here are some examples:

• 我是中国人。 (Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén.) - I am Chinese.
• 我是加拿大人。 (Wǒ shì Jiānádà rén.) - I am Canadian.
• 我是英国人。 (Wǒ shì Yīngguó rén.) - I am British.
• 我是韩国人。 (Wǒ shì Hánguó rén.) - I am Korean.

Feel free to replace the nationality in these examples with any other country name to describe your own nationality.

Review

Let's review what we've learned in this lesson:

• We learned common country names in Mandarin Chinese, such as 中国 (Zhōngguó) for China and 美国 (Měiguó) for the United States.
• We learned how to talk about nationalities in Mandarin Chinese using the pattern "国籍 + 人" (guójí + rén), such as 中国人 (Zhōngguó rén) for Chinese person and 美国人 (Měiguó rén) for American person.
• We explored less common country names and nationalities, such as 澳大利亚 (Àodàlìyà) for Australia and 西班牙 (Xībānyá) for Spain.
• We learned how to ask about someone's nationality using the question pattern "你是哪国人？" (Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?) and how to answer using the pattern "我是 + <nationality> + 人" (Wǒ shì + <nationality> + rén).

Congratulations on completing this lesson! You now have a better understanding of country names and nationalities in Mandarin Chinese. Keep practicing and exploring new vocabulary to enhance your language skills. Happy learning!

Table of Contents - Mandarin Chinese Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Pinyin and Tones

• Pinyin Introduction
• Tones Introduction
• Tone Pairs

  ---

Greetings and Basic Expressions

• Greeting People
• Basic Expressions
• Numbers and Counters

  ---

Sentence Structure and Word Order

• Subject-Verb-Object Structure
• Question Words and Question Structure
• Adjectives and Adverbs
• Negation and Conjunctions
• Particles and Structure Particles

  ---

Daily Life and Survival Expressions

• Asking for Directions
• Ordering Food and Drinks
• Shopping and Bargaining
• Transport and Travel
• Emergencies and Medical Care

  ---

Chinese Festivals and Traditions

• Spring Festival and Chunyun
• Mid-Autumn Festival and Mooncakes
• Dragon Boat Festival and Zongzi
• Double Ninth Festival and Chongyang Cake

  ---

Verbs and Verb Usage

• Action Verbs and Stative Verbs
• Modal Verbs and Auxiliary Verbs
• Complex Verb Phrases

  ---

Hobbies, Sports and Activities

• Leisure Activities and Hobbies
• Sports and Exercise
• Outdoor Activities and Nature
• Music and Film

  ---

China's Geography and Landmarks

• China's Four Great Ancient Capitals
• Famous Chinese Mountains and Rivers
• China's Great Wall

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Common and Proper Nouns
• Personal Pronouns and Possessive Pronouns
• Demonstrative Pronouns and Interrogative Pronouns

  ---

Professions and Personality Traits

• Professions and Jobs
• Personality Traits and Characteristics
• Emotions and Feelings

  ---

Chinese Traditional Arts and Crafts

• Chinese Calligraphy and Painting
• Chinese Opera and Drama
• Chinese Knots and Paper-cutting

  ---

Comparative and Superlative

• Comparative Form and Usage
• Superlative Form and Usage

  ---

Cities, Countries and Tourist Destinations

• Chinese and International Cities
• Country Names and Nationalities
• Tourist Attractions and Transportation

  ---

Modern China and Current Events

• China's Economy and Business Landscape
• Chinese Art and Entertainment Scene
• Current Events and Issues in China and Beyond

Other Lessons

• 且 qiĕ moreover, and
• Express Surprise
• Days of the Week
• 力 lì strength; force
• Constellations
• 国 guó
• Basic Expressions
• 桌 zhuō table
• 活 huó live
• 排 pái row, line

◀️ Chinese and International Cities — Previous Lesson

Next Lesson — Tourist Attractions and Transportation ▶️