国籍
guójí
The Chinese word for "nationality" is 国籍 (guójí).
国籍 is used to denote one's membership in a nation or state. For example, the terms 美国 (Měiguó) for the United States and 英国 (Yīngguó) for the United Kingdom can be used to indicate American or British nationality. When describing individuals, you might see phrases like 一个美国男人 (Yī gè Měiguó nánrén) for an American man or 一个美国女人 (Yī gè Měiguó nǚrén) for an American woman. If you are referring to a person as a single unit, the measure word 一位 (Yī wèi) is used, such as in 一位法国人 (Yī wèi Fǎguó rén) for a French person.
Meaning: membership of a nation or state (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 国 (guó), meaning country or nation and 籍 (jí), meaning a register or record.
Which one should you use?
While 国籍 refers to the legal status of being a citizen of a country, it is distinct from 国民 (guómín), which refers to the people or citizens of a nation as a collective group.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, people may use 中华民国 (Zhōnghuá Mínguó) to refer to the Republic of China.
How do you pronounce it?
guójí
Did you know?
- In mainland China, the government does not recognize dual 国籍. If a citizen acquires another nationality, their Chinese citizenship is automatically cancelled.
- Chinese has no single word for 'nationality' when referring to ethnicity. Instead, they use 民族 (mínzú), which refers to a specific ethnic group within a nation.
- The character 籍 (jí) originally referred to bamboo slips used for official records. In ancient times, your 'nationality' was literally a physical entry on a bamboo scroll.
Examples in context
- 我们真正的国籍是人类。Our true nationality is mankind.Tatoeba #795774 by fucongcong, translation #23381 by Zifre
- 这家公司不分种族、宗教或国籍雇用人。That company hires people without regard to race, religion, or nationality.Tatoeba #785359 by U2FS, translation #68510 by Zifre
- 他是中国人。He is Chinese.
- 她是美国人。She is American.
- 我是英国人。I am British.
- 填表时请写下您的国籍。Tiánbiǎo shí qǐng xiě xià nín de guójí.Please write down your nationality when filling out the form.
Example conversation
Yuting and Zhiqiang are discussing travel documents at an airport.
- 雨婷 Yuting志强，你的护照上写的是什么国籍？Zhìqiáng, nǐ de hùzhào shàng xiě de shì shénme guójí?Zhiqiang, what nationality is written on your passport?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我的国籍是中国。Wǒ de guójí shì Zhōngguó.My nationality is Chinese.
- 雨婷 Yuting那你申请签证需要很多时间吗？Nà nǐ shēnqǐng qiānzhèng xūyào hěnduō shíjiān ma?Then does it take a long time for you to apply for a visa?
- 志强 Zhiqiang不太多，大概一周就办好了。Bù tài duō, dàgài yīzhōu jiù bàn hǎo le.Not too long, it takes about a week to process.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
