【Learn Chinese】5 Country Names in Chinese for Beginners

Do you know any country names in Chinese? Country names don’t seem to be a trendy topic. However, they are super useful when it comes to self-introduction. After all, when introducing oneself, most people also tell others which “country” they are from. So, let’s start with those five common country names: USA, China, UK, France and Japan!

USA 美国 (měi guó)
美 (beautiful) + 国 (country) = 美国 (USA)
The character 美 (měi) is chosen because it sounds like the syllable “me” in “America.” And when people use the singular term America, they’re almost always referring to the USA.

China 中国 (zhōng guó)
中 (middle) + 国 (country) = 中国 (China)
Historically, 中国 referred to the states on the Central Plain in China. It was not the country’s name until the 19th century.

UK; England 英国 (yīng guó)
英 (hero) + 国 (country) = 英国 (UK)
Say 英 (yīng) as if you were saying “En” in “England.” Besides “UK,” 英国 is often used to mean England as well.

France 法国 (fǎ guó)
法 (law) + 国 (country) = 法国 (France)
法 (fǎ) is pronounced like “fa” in “sofa.” Make sure you say it in a low tone to sound like a native speaker.

Japan 日本 (rì běn)
日 (sun) + 本 (origin) = 日本 (Japan)
Do you know that the Japanese national flag contains a symbol of the rising “sun”? The pronunciation of 日本 in Chinese and Japanese are similar. Often, when translating a country name into Chinese, we choose sounds similar to that country’s name for itself.