It’s fun to meet people from all around the world. That’s the best part of learning languages! By learning the names of countries and nationalities in English, you’ll be able to ask and understand where people are from.

We’ve included the names for many of the countries of the world below, divided by continent. Sometimes there are multiple places where a country can be categorized, so this is just one way of classifying by geography, to help you find the word you’re looking for!

For the majority of the names of countries in English, you can predict the word for their respective nationalities by adding ‑an or ‑ian. For example, the country Italy is associated with the nationality Italian. Some nationalities in English end in ‑ish or ‑ese, and others are exceptions that don’t end in any of these suffixes!

When in doubt, you can always say a person from, followed by the name of the country.

In English, there are adjective and noun forms for nationality terms. The adjective forms are the most common, and you can use the adjective either on its own or with a noun like person, a profession, or a similar label.

I am Mexican. I am a Mexican tourist.

I am Mexican. I am a Mexican tourist.

She is Egyptian. She is an Egyptian engineer.

She is Egyptian. She is an Egyptian engineer.

It’s also possible to say you are a / an + the nationality (as in, I am a Mexican), but in some cases it is considered rude or derogatory. (Historically, this phrasing was sometimes used to make broad generalizations about people and places.) Instead, you can always be confident using the adjective form alone or with a noun.

For some nationalities, different forms are used for the noun and adjective—and there are occasionally differences for singular and plural, or for men and women.

Africa

Asia and the Middle East

Europe

The Americas: North America, Central America, and South America

It is important to note that in English, the region called The Americas is often divided into North America, Central America, and South America.

When the nationality term American is used in English, it tends to refer to things and people from the United States and not from other parts of the Americas.

Oceania and Australia

How to talk about nationalities in English

Now that you know nationalities in English, you’ll need to know how to use them in your English conversations and writing! Here are some important notes:

Remember to capitalize. Nationalities are always capitalized in English.
Don’t worry about gender. Words for nationality in English rarely change based on the person’s gender.
Make it plural. To make a nationality plural, say the word followed by people: for example, Sudanese people, Chinese people, or British people. If the nationality also has a noun form, like Briton, you can make it plural just by adding ‑s: Britons.

Sudanese people

Chinese people

British people

Britons

Don’t stress! If you aren’t sure about a nationality, you can always say a person from + the name of the country.

Some common questions that you might hear concerning nationalities include:

Where are you from?

Where are you from?

What country are you from?

What country are you from?

You can respond with:

I am from + [country]. For example: I am from Mexico. I am from Egypt.
I am from Mexico.

I am from Mexico.

I am from Egypt.

I am from Egypt.

I am + [nationality]. For example: I am Mexican. I am Egyptian.
I am Mexican.

I am Mexican.

I am Egyptian.

I am Egyptian.

You could introduce yourself by saying:

Hello, I am [name], from [country]. For example: Hello, I am Antonio, from Mexico. Hello, I am Asma, from Egypt.
Hello, I am Antonio, from Mexico.

Hello, I am Antonio, from Mexico.

Hello, I am Asma, from Egypt.

Hello, I am Asma, from Egypt.

Hello, I am [name], and I am [nationality]. For example: Hello, I am Antonio, and I am Mexican. Hello, I am Asma, and I am Egyptian.
Hello, I am Antonio, and I am Mexican.

Hello, I am Antonio, and I am Mexican.

Hello, I am Asma, and I am Egyptian.

Hello, I am Asma, and I am Egyptian.

You can also use the nationality word in front of cultural items, such as food or textiles. For example, you can say Thai cuisine, Costa Rican history, and Chinese embroidery.