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

Mandarin Chinese Vocabulary → → Country Names and Nationalities

As a Mandarin Chinese teacher, I always like to include cultural information and interesting facts in my lessons. In this lesson, we will be learning common and less common country names and nationalities vocabulary, and how to use them in Mandarin Chinese. This is an important topic for beginners to learn, as it will allow them to communicate effectively when talking about different countries and their people.

Country Names

Here are some common and less common country names you should know in Mandarin Chinese:

Mandarin Chinese	Pronunciation	English
中国	Zhōngguó	China
法国	Fǎguó	France
特立尼达和多巴哥	Tèlìnídá hé Duōbāgē	Trinidad and Tobago
瑞典	Ruìdiǎn	Sweden
印度	Yìndù	India
巴基斯坦	Bājīsītǎn	Pakistan
埃及	Āijí	Egypt

Some things to keep in mind when using country names in Mandarin Chinese:

• The word for "country" in Mandarin Chinese is "国家" (guójiā).
• When using country names as adjectives to describe a person or thing, you can place the word "的" (de) after the country name. For example, "中国人" (Zhōngguó rén) means "Chinese person," while "中国的文化" (Zhōngguó de wénhuà) means "Chinese culture."

Nationalities

Here are some common and less common nationalities you should know in Mandarin Chinese:

Mandarin Chinese	Pronunciation	English
中国人	Zhōngguó rén	Chinese person
法国人	Fǎguó rén	French person
特立尼达和多巴哥人	Tèlìnídá hé Duōbāgē rén	Trinidadian and Tobagonian
瑞典人	Ruìdiǎn rén	Swedish person
印度人	Yìndù rén	Indian person
巴基斯坦人	Bājīsītǎn rén	Pakistani person
埃及人	Āijí rén	Egyptian person

Some things to keep in mind when using nationalities in Mandarin Chinese:

• Nationalities are formed by adding the word "人" (rén), meaning "person," after the name of the country or region. For example, "中国人" (Zhōngguó rén) means "Chinese person," while "法国人" (Fǎguó rén) means "French person."
• When talking about multiple people of a certain nationality, you can add the word "们" (men) after the nationality. For example, "中国人们" (Zhōngguó rénmen) means "Chinese people."

Practice Exercise

Now that you have learned some country names and nationalities in Mandarin Chinese, let's practice using them in sentences. Here are some examples to get you started:

• 我是中国人。(Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén.) - I am Chinese.
• 他是法国人。(Tā shì Fǎguó rén.) - He is French.
• 他们来自印度。(Tāmen láizì Yìndù.) - They are from India.
• 她的家人来自巴基斯坦。(Tā de jiārén láizì Bājīsītǎn.) - Her family is from Pakistan.

Sources

• List of Sovereign States
• List of Adjectival and Demonymic Forms for Countries and Nations

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

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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

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Comparative and Superlative

• Comparative Form and Usage
• Superlative Form and Usage

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Cities, Countries and Tourist Destinations

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

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Modern China and Current Events

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

Related 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