Countries & Nationalities – English Vocabulary

countries and nationalities cover
world nationalities flags

How to say nationalities and countries in English

A nationality describes where someone or something is from. Most nationalities are similar to the names of the countries, with a different ending (suffix). Common suffixes are: ish, ian, ese, i, an

Some nationalities are irregular, because the spelling and pronunciation of the nationality word is very different from the country word. One example is the nationality of France, which is French.

It is important to use capital letters when writing country names and nationalities.

For example:
british ❌
British ✔️
india ❌
Indian ✔️

Learn 12 nationalities with this flashcard set.

Use these flashcards to learn the meaning of the terms for this unit. You can also practice the pronunciation by listening to the audio on each card.

Exercise 1 – Play this memory game to practice nationality vocabulary

Match the words to the pictures. Turn the sound on (🔉) if you want to hear the pronunciation of the vocabulary terms.

Exercise 2 – Speaking practice

You must use the Chrome web browser in order for this activity to work. You must also give the website permission to use your microphone. This can be found if you click the ???? symbol to the left of the URL address bar.

Exercise 3 – Nationality Crossword


Let us review 12 vocabulary terms to describe various nationalities

NationalityMeaning
Americanfrom the United States of America
Brazilianfrom Brazil
Canadianfrom Canada
Chinesefrom China
Emiratifrom the United Arab Emirates
Frenchfrom France
Germanfrom Germany
Irishfrom Ireland
Japanesefrom Japan
Kenyanfrom Kenya
Peruvianfrom Peru
Saudi Arabianfrom Saudi Arabia

Test your understanding about nationalities with the quiz below.