Amerika
/ɑˈmeː.ri.kaː/
America in Dutch is Amerika.
Amerika is the name of the landmass of the North and South American continents. In everyday speech it is also used for the United States, as in the examples below.
Which one should you use?
The Dutch spelling uses a k where English has a c, and it is written with a capital letter like other names.
How do you pronounce it?
Amerika is pronounced /ɑˈmeː.ri.kaː/. It has four syllables with the stress on the second, and the second syllable has a long vowel.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not write it with a c as in English. The Dutch spelling is Amerika.
Did you know?
- There is a tiny Dutch hamlet called Nieuw Amerika named after the continent.
- The Dutch word Amerika is derived from the New Latin version of the name of the cartographer Amerigo Vespucci.
- While English speakers often use 'America' to mean only the United States, a Dutch speaker using Amerika can be referring to the entire landmass of North and South America.
Examples in context
- Ik kom uit Amerika.I'm from America.uit Amerika means from America.Tatoeba #3661716 by Globetrotter, translation #253015 by CK
- Ik woon in Amerika.I live in America.in Amerika means in America.Tatoeba #7535130 by MarijnKp, translation #1655730 by gleki
- Amerika houdt van u.America loves you.houdt van u means loves you, with the formal you.Tatoeba #7926534 by MarijnKp, translation #2244900 by CK
- Ik ga naar de StatesI'm going to the States
- Heeft hij familie in de States?Does he have family in the States?
- Amerika is een prachtig land met diverse landschappen.America is a beautiful country with diverse landscapes.
- Ik wil graag een roadtrip maken in de States.I would love to go on a road trip in the States.
- 146 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Julia are talking about their travel plans.
- LucasWil je naar Amerika reizen?Do you want to travel to America?
- JuliaJa, Amerika lijkt me geweldig.Yes, America seems amazing to me.
- LucasIk wil ook graag naar Amerika gaan.I would also like to go to America.
- JuliaDan moeten we een ticket boeken.Then we must book a ticket.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Amerika, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Amerika, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
