How to Say ‘What country are you from?’ in Simplified Chinese
你是哪国人？
nǐ shì nǎ guó rén
[nee shir nah guó ren]
💬 Usage Tip: The question word sits where the answer will go, so you just swap it out. 哪国人 becomes 美国人 or 英国人 (Yīngguó rén) "British".
Phrase Breakdown
你是
nǐ shì
you are
你 (nǐ) + 是 (shì, to be). 是 is a falling fourth tone.
你是学生吗？
Are you a student?
Words in this phrase
你
nǐ
[nee]
you
The informal or neutral word for “you,” suitable for peers or casual conversation.
如果对方和你年纪差不多，可以说“认识你”。
If the other person is about your age, you can say “nice to meet you” with 你.
是
shì
[shir]
to be
The verb “to be,” used to identify or describe a situation.
你是第一次来，所以我给你介绍一下。
Since it’s your first time here, I’ll introduce things to you.
哪国人？
nǎ guó rén
from which country?
哪 (nǎ, which) + 国 (guó, country) + 人 (rén, person). This is the common way to ask someone's nationality.
他是哪国人？
Which country is he from?
Words in this phrase
哪
nǎ
[nah]
which
A question word used to ask for a specific choice among options.
你对哪个岗位更感兴趣？
Which position are you more interested in?
国
guó
[guó]
country; nation
Used in words for countries and nationalities.
你去过几个国家？
How many countries have you been to?
人
rén
[ren]
person; people
A human being; it can also mean people in general.
这里的人都对职业发展很有兴趣。
The people here are all very interested in career development.
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