Korean Nationalities Vocabulary: 35 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Nationalities Vocabulary at a Glance

This list covers how Korean names a person by country, how it names a language and how it names a continent. It sits inside Geography and Countries. The country names themselves are mostly the same words you already know from the news: 한국, 미국, 일본, 중국. Once you know a country name, you can build the nationality and the language with a short ending.

Which Nationality and Language Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 한국 사람, 외국인, 영어, 한국어 and 어디에서 왔어요? first. They let you say where you are from, name a language and answer the question that opens most first meetings. Then add the country you come from and one or two of its neighbours.

• Words to say. 한국 사람, 미국 사람, 영어, 한국어, 한국말, and your own country name.
• Words to recognise. 한국인, 외국인, 국적 and the -인 forms. They appear on forms, signs and news pages.
• Words to build. Any country name + 사람, 인 or 어. This is a pattern, not a list to memorise.

Two words need a clear split. 한국어 is the dictionary and school word for the Korean language, while 한국말 is what people say in conversation. 외국인 is a general word for a foreigner, and it is common in official writing. In casual talk people more often ask which country someone is from. The scene below shows ten of the words as numbered objects.

Word · 10

1. 1

   한국 사람

   Play

   hanguk saram

   Korean person

2. 2

   미국 사람

   Play

   miguk saram

   American person

3. 3

   한국인

   Play

   hangugin

   Korean (nationality)

4. 4

   미국인

   Play

   migugin

   American (nationality)

5. 5

   외국인

   Play

   oegugin

   foreigner

6. 6

   한국어

   Play

   hangugeo

   the Korean language (standard term)

7. 7

   한국말

   Play

   hangungmal

   Korean (spoken language)

8. 8

   영어

   Play

   yeongeo

   English (language)

9. 9

   아시아

   Play

   asia

   Asia

10. 10

    국적

    Play

    gukjeok

    nationality

Country + 사람

The spoken pattern is the country name plus 사람, which means person. 한국 사람 is a Korean person, 미국 사람 is an American and 일본 사람 is a Japanese person. It is two words with a space. You attach the copula 이에요 or 예요 to say who someone is: 저는 한국 사람이에요, I am Korean. Use 이에요 after a consonant (사람이에요) and 예요 after a vowel.

Example Sentences

Three sentence frames carry most of these examples. The first is 저는 ○○ 사람이에요, I am a person of ○○. The second is ○○ 사람이 아니에요, I am not from ○○. The third is ○○ 사람을 만났어요, I met a person from ○○. Swap the country and read each aloud after the audio. Note that 저는 marks you as the topic: 는 follows a vowel (저는) and 은 follows a consonant (선생님은).

Country + 사람 is the form you will hear at a party or in a taxi. The next group is the shorter, more formal pattern.

How Do You Say Country + 인 in Korean?

The formal pattern is the country name plus 인, which means person in Sino-Korean. 미국인 is an American, 한국인 is a Korean and 외국인 is a foreigner. Unlike 사람, 인 never stands alone and has no space before it. You see it in news headlines, on forms and in set phrases such as 외국인 등록. Because 인 begins with a vowel, the final consonant of the country moves onto it: 미국인 is said [미구긴].

The two patterns mean the same thing, so choose by setting. Say 미국 사람 to a new friend and expect to read 미국인 in a newspaper. 프랑스 and 영국 take both patterns too. For a country-by-country order of learning, see the next section.

Languages (-어)

A language name is usually the country name plus 어, which means language: 영어 is English, 중국어 is Chinese and 일본어 is Japanese. The country half is sometimes shortened or changed. English is 영어 even though the country is 영국, the United Kingdom. Korean has two names for its own language. 한국어 is the standard, textbook word. 한국말 is the everyday word, where 말 means speech.

To say you speak or study a language, put 을 after a consonant and 를 after a vowel, then add a verb: 한국어를 배워요, 영어를 공부해요. The particle 로 shows the language you use, as in 영어로 말해요.

How Do You Say Continents in Korean?

Continent names are loanwords written in Hangul, so they are easy to read: 아시아, 유럽, 아프리카. The Americas are split as 북아메리카 (north) and 남아메리카 (south), and 오세아니아 is the region that includes Australia. The word 대륙 means continent, so you may also see 아시아 대륙 in a geography book. Locations take the particle 에, as in 아시아에 있어요, it is in Asia.

Country names do not follow the continents. The United States is 미국 even though the continent is 북아메리카, so learn each country as its own word.

Introducing Where You Are From

These six items are the exchange you will use most. A Korean speaker will often ask 어느 나라 사람이에요? or 어디에서 왔어요?. You reply with the country plus 에서 왔어요, which means I came from. The particle 에서 marks the starting point. You can also answer with the pattern from the first group, 저는 호주 사람이에요.

If you want to go further, the page on introducing yourself puts these items into a full first meeting. City and province names are on Korean Cities Vocabulary and Korean Provinces Vocabulary.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Nationality words link their final consonants to the next vowel and nasalise before ㅁ. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules. The romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which shows linking and nasalization (한국말 is hangungmal) but not tensing (국적 is gukjeok, said [국쩍]).

Linking is the main habit to learn. Say 미국 and 인 as separate words, then merge them so the ㄱ lands on the next syllable. The nasalization in 한국말 is the second sound to practise: your lips close for ㅁ, so the ㄱ turns into a nasal [ㅇ].

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word and sentence has its own clip. The five clips below replay the hardest words slowly. Play one, repeat it aloud, then play it again and compare.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Nationality and Language Words?

Five mistakes come up again and again.

1. Adding 사람 to a language. 영어 사람 is not a nationality. For an English person, say 영국 사람 or 영국인.
2. Writing 인 as a separate word. 미국 인 is wrong. The formal pattern is one word, 미국인.
3. Mixing up country and language. 한국 is the country and 한국어 is the language. 한국을 배워요 would mean learning the country, so say 한국어를 배워요.
4. Confusing 영국 and 영어. 영국 is the United Kingdom, and 영어 is English. They share 영 but name different things.
5. Using 외국인 to describe a person to their face. The word is correct, but it points out that someone is an outsider. Asking 어느 나라 사람이에요? is warmer.

Most of these mistakes come from reusing English word shapes, where one word covers country, person and language. Korean keeps three endings apart. The practice section turns the list into drills.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Work in three steps. Start the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you know all 35 words. Switch to listening mode, then take the quiz. The deck covers every word on this page with audio, and your progress stays in your browser. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other decks.

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, write a sentence for each of your friends: 제 친구는 ○○ 사람이에요 and name the language they speak.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Cities Vocabulary or Korean Provinces Vocabulary. For a full first meeting, see introducing yourself. To move up a level, return to Geography and Countries.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Korean Person in Korean?

Korean person is 한국 사람 (hanguk saram). The formal word is 한국인 (hangugin), said [한구긴]. Use 한국 사람 in conversation, as in 저는 한국 사람이에요, and 한국인 in writing and news.

How Do You Pronounce 미국인 (migugin)?

Say mi-gu-gin. The final ㄱ of 미국 moves to the next syllable, so the word sounds like [미구긴]. Press the audio button on this page to hear it and the slow clip. The romanization migugin already reflects this linking.

How Many Nationality and Language Words Should I Learn First?

Start with five: 한국 사람, 외국인, 영어, 한국어 and 어디에서 왔어요?. Then learn your own country with the three endings 사람, 인 and 어. At five new words a day the full list of 35 takes a week plus review.

Where Can I Practise Nationality and Language Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 35 words with Hangul, romanization and audio, in recognition and listening modes. Your progress stays in your browser.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. It is a learning aid and does not mark every sound change, so rely on the Hangul and the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Nationality and Language Words?

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, use the flashcard deck, which carries the same 35 words, or copy the tables by hand.

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