Countries and languages in Esperanto: -ujo or -io?

Esperanto names a country with a noun ending in -o and a capital letter: Kanado "Canada", Brazilo "Brazil", Pollando "Poland". The people are kanadano, brazilano or polo, and the language is an adjective: la pola "Polish". Most countries are named after the land, but some after the people, so France is Francujo or Francio, from franco "a Frenchman". Pronunciation guides put the stressed syllable in capitals; stress is always on the second-to-last syllable.

#Two systems for country names

PMEG, the reference grammar, and the Academy of Esperanto sort country names into two kinds. Land-based names are plain roots: Kanado names the land, and the suffix -an- "inhabitant" makes the person, kanadano. People-based names start from the word for the people, franco, and add -uj-, -i- or -land- for "land of".

Land-based names are the majority: about 60 of the 203 names in the Academy's 2009 list are people-based (our count), mostly in Europe.

A name in -ujo is always people-based. A name in -io or -lando may be either: Aŭstralio and Nederlando are land-based (there are no aŭstraloj or nederoj), while Francio and Pollando are people-based. When unsure, add -an- to the country name (pollandano); PMEG says this is never wrong.

#Countries named after the land

These names take -an- for the person and -a for the adjective: Brazilo → brazilano, brazila.

Usono is a full word, not an abbreviation: Americans proposed it around 1900 as Usonia (ReVo), and it became official in 2007. Barato became official in 2023; the older Hindujo mainly means the whole Indian subcontinent. Filipinoj is plural: en Filipinoj.

#Countries named after the people

Here the people word comes first and has no suffix: franco, germano, polo. The country adds -uj-, -i- or -land-, and the adjective is the people word plus -a.

Britujo is the whole state, Anglujo its southern part, England.

#-ujo, -io or -lando: which one?

All three work, and PMEG says every Esperanto speaker understands -ujo and -io. -Uj- is the oldest: the Fundamento's dictionary lists Turk'uj' "Turkey", and the same suffix gives Esperantujo, the world of Esperanto speakers. -I- is unofficial but very common. The Academy has ruled on it four times:

-Land- appears in six people-based names on the 2009 list: Finnlando, Pollando, Skotlando, Svazilando, Svislando and Tajlando. The Academy says Polujo and Svisujo are fine too.

Do not mix the two systems for one country. PMEG warns against koreanoj en Koreujo: say koreoj with Koreujo or Koreio.

#People: a Pole, a Canadian, the French

For a land-based name, add -an-: Kanado → kanadano. For a people-based name, use the plain people word: la francoj, la poloj. You can also add -an- to the country name (francujano, franciano, pollandano), but never to the people word: francanoj would mean "members of a Frenchman". Women take -in-: polino, kanadanino.

Mi estas polo. – "I am a Pole." Ŝi estas kanadanino. – "She is Canadian." Strictly, rusujano is anyone living in Rusujo and ruso a member of the Russian people, but the difference is often ignored.

#Language names

A language name is the adjective, usually with la: la pola or la pola lingvo "Polish". Use -e for "in that language": paroli pole "to speak Polish". PMEG also gives angligi "to translate into English".

Some languages have no matching country. La persa comes from the persoj, the largest people of Iran, called Persujo until 1935. Hindi is la hindia (official since 2023), because hinda relates to the whole Indian subcontinent. Language names in -o take no la: Mi parolas Esperanton. – "I speak Esperanto."

#Where are you from?

El "out of" gives the place of origin (prepositions). After paroli, the language is the object, so its adjective takes -n: la polan.

#Capital letters and the article

Capitals on peoples and languages are possible but less usual, says PMEG. Country names take no la: Mi loĝas en Francujo. Plural names such as (la) Filipinoj may take it. Months take a capital (Oktobro), days do not (lundo): see days and months. For where Esperanto is spoken, see Esperanto around the world.

#Common questions

#Is it Francujo or Francio?

Both mean France. Francujo is the traditional form, built from Fundamental parts, and the one the Academy uses in its official definitions; Francio is unofficial but very common. PMEG says both are fully usable, so choose one and keep to it.

#How do you say "I am American" or "I am Polish"?

Use a noun: Mi estas usonano (man), Mi estas usonanino (woman); Mi estas polo, Mi estas polino.

#What are the names of languages in Esperanto?

The adjective of the people or country, usually with la: la angla "English", la franca "French", la ĉina "Chinese". Only Esperanto and a few others in -o have no la.

#Are nationalities and languages capitalised in Esperanto?

Usually not: franco, la pola. Country names and language names in -o (Esperanto, Latino) take a capital.

#Sources

• PMEG: Landoj, popoloj kaj lingvoj
• PMEG: Majuskloj ĉe propraj nomoj
• PMEG: La ĉe propraj nomoj
• PMEG: El (origin)
• Akademio: La Akademio kaj la landnomoj
• Akademio: Listo de Rekomendataj Landnomoj (2009)
• Akademio: Oka Oficiala Aldono (1974), landnomoj and -io
• Akademio: Deka Oficiala Aldono (2023)
• Akademio: Universala Vortaro (Fundamento)
• ReVo: -uj, Usono, Irano
• Tatoeba: #474395, #431690, #11442766 (CC BY 2.0 FR)