在英文中，要根据国家名称来形成国籍的形容词和名词，并不是所有规则都一致。论及某国的所有国民时，大部分是用 ese 或 ish 结尾的国籍形容词，再接动词的复数型态。此处的形容词有时也可以是该国语言的名词，并不是所有情况都如此。
举例
- 国家：i live in japan.
- 形容词：he likes japanese food.
- 出身：she is a japanese person. = she is from japan. = she is japanese.
- 语言：she speaks japanese.
- 描述一群人：spaniards often drink wine. = spanish people often drink wine.
- 描述一群人：the chinese enjoy fireworks. = chinese people enjoy fireworks.
在某些情况下，由于历史或政治上的因素，有些国籍或民族的名词对某些人来说可能会有负面的联想。在这种情况，多数人就不会去使用它，而是改用较为中立的「形容词 people」或 「people from 国家名称」来表示。以下带星号的字词就是这个情况的例子，而括号里的写法则是避免冒犯的说法。
| 地理区域/大洲 | 形容词 | 名词 |
|---|---|---|
| africa | african | an african* (an african person, someone from africa) |
| asia | asian | an asian* (an asian person, someone from asia) |
| europe | european | a european |
| central america | central american | a central american |
| middle east | middle eastern | a middle easterner |
| north africa | north african | a north african |
| south america | south american | a south american |
| southeast asia | southeast asian | a southeast asian person |
| 国家或地区 | 形容词 | 名词 |
|---|---|---|
| afghanistan | afghan | an afghan |
| algeria | algerian | an algerian |
| angola | angolan | an angolan |
| argentina | argentine | an argentine |
| austria | austrian | an austrian |
| australia | australian | an australian |
| bangladesh | bangladeshi | a bangladeshi |
| belarus | belarusian | a belarusian |
| belgium | belgian | a belgian |
| bolivia | bolivian | a bolivian |
| bosnia and herzegovina | bosnian/herzegovinian | a bosnian/a herzegovinian |
| brazil | brazilian | a brazilian |
| britain | british | a briton（非正式：a brit） |
| bulgaria | bulgarian | a bulgarian |
| cambodia | cambodian | a cambodian |
| cameroon | cameroonian | a cameroonian |
| canada | canadian | a canadian |
| central african republic | central african | a central african |
| chad | chadian | a chadian |
| china | chinese | a chinese person |
| colombia | colombian | a colombian |
| costa rica | costa rican | a costa rican |
| croatia | croatian | a croat |
| the czech republic | czech | a czech person |
| democratic republic of the congo | congolese | a congolese person（注：这也指来自刚果共和国的人） |
| denmark | danish | a dane |
| ecuador | ecuadorian | an ecuadorian |
| egypt | egyptian | an egyptian |
| el salvador | salvadoran | a salvadoran（salvadorian 和 salvadorean 也被接受的写法） |
| england | english | an englishman/englishwoman |
| estonia | estonian | an estonian |
| ethiopia | ethiopian | an ethiopian |
| finland | finnish | a finn |
| france | french | a frenchman/frenchwoman |
| germany | german | a german |
| ghana | ghanaian | a ghanaian |
| greece | greek | a greek |
| guatemala | guatemalan | a guatemalan |
| holland | dutch | a dutchman/dutchwoman |
| honduras | honduran | a honduran |
| hungary | hungarian | a hungarian |
| iceland | icelandic | an icelander |
| india | indian | an indian |
| indonesia | indonesian | an indonesian |
| iran | iranian | an iranian |
| iraq | iraqi | an iraqi |
| ireland | irish | an irishman/irishwoman |
| israel | israeli | an israeli |
| italy | italian | an italian |
| ivory coast | ivorian | an ivorian |
| jamaica | jamaican | a jamaican |
| japan | japanese | a japanese person |
| jordan | jordanian | a jordanian |
| kazakhstan | kazakh | a kazakhstani（用为名词，「a kazakh」指的是民族而非国籍） |
| kenya | kenyan | a kenyan |
| laos | lao | a laotian（用为名词，「a lao」指的是民族而非国籍） |
| latvia | latvian | a latvian |
| libya | libyan | a libyan |
| lithuania | lithuanian | a lithuanian |
| madagascar | malagasy | a malagasy |
| malaysia | malaysian | a malaysian |
| mali | malian | a malian |
| mauritania | mauritanian | a mauritanian |
| mexico | mexican | a mexican*（在美国可能会有冒犯性，改称「someone from mexico」较好。） |
| morocco | moroccan | a moroccan |
| namibia | namibian | a namibian |
| new zealand | new zealand | a new zealander |
| nicaragua | nicaraguan | a nicaraguan |
| niger | nigerien | a nigerien |
| nigeria | nigerian | a nigerian |
| norway | norwegian | a norwegian |
| oman | omani | an omani |
| pakistan | pakistani | a pakistani*（在英国可能会有冒犯性，改称「someone from pakistan」较好。） |
| panama | panamanian | a panamanian |
| paraguay | paraguayan | a paraguayan |
| peru | peruvian | a peruvian |
| the philippines | philippine | a filipino* (someone from the philippines) |
| poland | polish | a pole* (someone from poland, a polish person) |
| portugal | portuguese | a portuguese person |
| republic of the congo | congolese | a congolese person（注：这也指来自刚果民主共和国的人） |
| romania | romanian | a romanian |
| russia | russian | a russian |
| saudi arabia | saudi, saudi arabian | a saudi, a saudi arabian |
| scotland | scottish | a scot |
| senegal | senegalese | a senegalese person |
| serbia | serbian | a serbian（ 用为名词，「a serb」指的是民族而非国籍） |
| singapore | singaporean | a singaporean |
| slovakia | slovak | a slovak |
| somalia | somalian | a somalian |
| south africa | south african | a south african |
| spain | spanish | a spaniard* (a spanish person, someone from spain) |
| sudan | sudanese | a sudanese person |
| sweden | swedish | a swede |
| switzerland | swiss | a swiss person |
| syria | syrian | a syrian |
| thailand | thai | a thai person |
| tunisia | tunisian | a tunisian |
| turkey | turkish | a turk |
| turkmenistan | turkmen | a turkmen / the turkmens |
| ukraine | ukranian | a ukranian |
| the united arab emirates | emirati | an emirati |
| the united states | american | an american |
| uruguay | uruguayan | a uruguayan |
| vietnam | vietnamese | a vietnamese person |
| wales | welsh | a welshman/welshwoman |
| zambia | zambian | a zambian |
| zimbabwe | zimbabwean | a zimbabwean |
城市名称也可改为形容词和名词，但改写的规则很不一定，而且有些名词并不全然被认同（可能有几个是）。以下为您示范几个城市名称改写成形容词和名词：
| 城市 | 形容词 | 名词 |
|---|---|---|
| paris | parisian | a parisian |
| new york | new york | a new yorker |
| sydney | sydney | a sydney-sider |
| london | london | a londoner |
| são paulo | são paulo | a paulistano |
| new delhi | new delhi | a delhiite |
| cape town | cape town | a capetonian |