When you’re born, you automatically become a member of the country where you’re born, and that’s your nationality. In Korean, the term for “nationality” is “국적” (gukjeok).
Dual or Multiple Nationalities
On the other hand, “dual” or “multiple” nationalities means you are a citizen of two or more countries at the same time. It happens when the laws of the involved countries allow you to be a citizen of multiple countries. So, you get the benefits and responsibilities of being a citizen in more than one country.
In Korean, “dual nationality” is expressed as “이중 국적” (ijung gukjeok). “이중” (Ijung) means “dual” or “double.”
Additionally, having two or more nationalities is referred to as “복수국적” (Boksu Gukjeok). “복수” (Boksu) means “multiple” or “plural.”
So, “이중 국적” specifically refers to having two nationalities, while “복수국적” is a broader term for multiple nationalities.
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Forming Nationalities: 인 vs 사람
In Korean, there are two common ways to express someone’s nationality: using “인” (in), which is a suffix that is added to the name of a country to indicate nationality, or using “사람” (saram), which means “person” in Korean and can also be added after the name of a country to indicate nationality.
Both the “인” (in) and “사람” (saram) methods involve combining the name of a country with one of these suffixes to indicate a person’s origin.
Both forms are commonly used in everyday Korean conversation, and either can be used to inquire or specify someone’s nationality.
It’s worth noting that the “인” suffix may be more commonly used in formal or written contexts, while “사람” is often used in spoken language.
Adding the Suffix ‘인’
[Country Name] +인: This is a common way to form nationality names in Korean. You simply take the name of the country and add “인” at the end.
For example:
- America (미국) + 인 = 미국인 (American)
- China (중국) + 인 = 중국인 (Chinese)
- France (프랑스) + 인 = 프랑스인 (French)
- Japan (일본) + 인 = 일본인 (Japanese)
- Korea (한국) + 인 = 한국인 (Korean)
The suffix “인” in Korean functions as a nominalizer, turning a country name into a term that represents a person from or associated with that country. It’s essentially a way to express nationality or origin.
In English, this would be equivalent to adding “-an” or “-ian” to the name of a country to denote someone from that place.
For example:
- Italy + an = Italian
- Brazil + ian = Brazilian
- Egypt + ian = Egyptian
Adding the Suffix ‘사람’
[Country Name] + 사람: Another way to express nationality is by adding “사람” (person) after the country’s name. “사람” translates to “person” or “people,” so this construction literally means “person of [country].”
For example:
- America (미국) + 사람 = 미국사람 (American)
- China (중국) + 사람 = 중국사람 (Chinese)
- France (프랑스) + 사람 = 프랑스사람 (French)
- Japan (일본) + 사람 = 일본사람 (Japanese)
- Korea (한국) + 사람 = 한국사람 (Korean)
250+ Nationalities in Korean using “인“
The following list contains 250+ Nationalities in Korean, written in Hangeul characters and Revised Romanizations, along with their respective countries. The suffix “인” is used to indicate nationality.
| Nationality | Hangeul | Revised Romanization | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghan | 아프가니스탄인 | Apeuganiseutanin | Afghanistan |
| Albanian | 알바니아인 | Albaniain | Albania |
| Algerian | 알제리인 | Aljeriin | Algeria |
| Samoan | 사모아인 | Samoain | American Samoa |
