我是美国人
wǒ shì měiguórén
To say "I am american" in Chinese, use 我是美国人 (wǒ shì měiguórén).
The phrase is used to state that you are a citizen or national of the United States.
What does it mean word for word?
The term for an American person, 美国人, is composed of 美国 (měiguó), meaning 'USA' and 人 (rén), meaning 'person'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Southern China, you may encounter the form 我係美国人。 to mean "I am American."
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase follows a Subject-Verb-Object structure where 是 (shì) acts as the linking verb "to be".
How do you pronounce it?
wǒ shì měiguórén
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to say 我是美国, which translates to "I am America". You must include 人 (rén) at the end to specify that you are an American person.
Did you know?
- If you are an American living in China, people might refer to you as a 老外 ('old outsider'), a colloquial and generally friendly term for any foreigner.
- The name for the USA, 美国, literally translates to 'beautiful country'. This was a phonetic choice when the name was first adapted into Chinese characters.
- In Chinese, you can omit the 我 ('I') and simply say 是美国人 if the context already makes it clear who is speaking.
Examples in context
- 我是美国人。加州的。I am American. From California.
- 我是美国人。Wǒ shì Měiguórén.I am American.
- 对，我是美国人。Duì, wǒ shì Měiguórén.Yes, I am American.
Example conversation
A student is introducing herself to a new classmate.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你好，我是美国人。Nǐ hǎo, wǒ shì Měiguórén.Hello, I am American.
- 伟 Wei真的吗？很高兴认识你。Zhēn de ma? Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.Really? Nice to meet you.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我也很高兴认识你。Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.Nice to meet you too.
- 伟 Wei晓雯，你住在这里吗？Xiǎowén, nǐ zhù zài zhèlǐ ma?Xiaowen, do you live here?
