英国人
yīngguórén
The English phrase 'british' is translated into Chinese as 英国人 (yīngguórén).
英国人 is used to refer to British people or to express the nationality 'British'. For example, the phrase 英国的食物 means 'British food'.
Meaning: of Britain (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 英国人 is composed of 英国, which means Britain or the UK and 人, which means person or people.
Which one should you use?
While 英国人 can mean 'a British person' or 'British people', it is the standard way to express both the nationality and the people themselves in a sentence.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To use 'British' as an adjective describing a noun, such as 'British culture', you should add the particle 的 to the country name to form 英国的.
How do you pronounce it?
yīngguórén
Did you know?
- The character 英 in 英国人 is the same character used for 'hero' or 'brave' in Chinese. This gives the name for Britain a meaning associated with being 'heroic'.
- The word 国 in 英国 originally depicted a weapon inside a boundary. This ancient symbol represents the defense of a territory and the state.
- Depending on the region, some Chinese speakers may use 英吉利 to refer to England. This is a phonetic transliteration that sounds like 'English' rather than the meaningful translation 英国.
Examples in context
- 我是英国人。I'm British.This sentence is useful for stating your own nationality using 英国人.Tatoeba #4859508 by musclegirlxyp, translation #4872187 by zvzuibqx
- 他是英国人。He is British.This sentence is useful for stating someone else's nationality using 英国人.Tatoeba #348586 by zhouj1955, translation #1489175 by weihaiping
- 你是英国人吗？我是。Are you British? I am.This sentence is useful for asking if someone is British using 英国人.Tatoeba #12854237 by urro, translation #12854240 by urro
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a new colleague at the office.
- 梓涵 Zihan他是英国人吗？Tā shì Yīngguó rén ma?Is he British?
- 伟 Wei是的，他是英国人。Shì de, tā shì Yīngguó rén.Yes, he is British.
- 梓涵 Zihan那他的英语一定很好。Nà tā de Yīngyǔ yīdìng hěn hǎo.Then his English must be very good.
- 伟 Wei没错，他的口音很地道。Méi cuò, tā de kǒuyīn hěn dìdao.That's right, his accent is very authentic.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
