As we investigated that, we realized we could say a little more about how countries are written and pronounced in Italian. In the past, we talked about cities but haven’t talked about countries. (See Foreign City Names in Italian – Why They Are Sometimes in English.) Here are 10 points about countries in Italian.
Note 1: The basics: pronunciation and writing.
Don’t forget vowels at the end of country names, and to sound them out as they should be in Italian. Examples: Russia, Albania.
Italian is a phonetic language: Every written vowel is meant to be pronounced, so dropping it changes the sound, and sometimes the meaning, of the word.
In English, we often clip or swallow final syllables (“Romania” might come out as “Roman-yuh”), but in Italian, Romania is Ro-ma-ní-a, each vowel crisp and distinct.
Don’t anglicize vowels. For example, don't turn the Italian “a” into an English “uh” or “ay.”
Watch which syllable you stress. For example, in English, Romania is pronounced “ro-MAY-nee-uh", and in Italian, “ro-ma-NEE-a".
In Italian, the stressed syllable for countries is on the penultimate syllable except for compound forms (Stati Uniti, Costa d’Avorio) or foreign names used untranslated.
Standard country names don’t use written accents or diacritics. Example: Côte d’Ivoire → Costa d’Avorio. México instead of Messico, it’s a foreignism, not an Italian spelling.
Note 2: Types of articles.
All articles are used, but “La” is most common.
Examples of “La”: la Grecia, la Scozia, l’Italia
Examples of “Il”: il Portogallo, il Giappone, il Brasile
Examples of “Gli”: gli Stati Uniti, gli Emirati Arabi Uniti
Examples of “Le”: le Filippine, le Maldive
Examples of “I”: i Paesi Bassi, i Caraibi
Note 3: When to use articles.
A few countries are used without an article. Examples: Israel, Cipro, Malta, Singapore, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, Haiti, and Cuba. They are used without article for historical, linguistic, and stylistic reasons.
Articles aren’t used with prepositions like “in” or “a” for travel or location.
When the country name is treated as a proper noun in isolation, the article isn’t used.
Note 4: Most country names end in vowels, but not all do.
Examples of countries that don't end in a vowel in Italian: Chad, Niger, Qatar, Yemen, Nepal, Bangladesh, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Pakistan
For some modern or politically sensitive names, the original spelling is preserved for clarity or respect.
Countries with short, consonant-ending names are more likely to remain unchanged.
Note 5: Modifications: drop the H, change the X, change the PH.
Examples of X to SS: Mexico => Messico, Luxembourg => Lussemburgo
Examples of H removed: Chile => Cile, China => Cina, Thailand => Tailandia, Ethiopia => Etiopia
Examples of PH to F: Philippines => Filippine
Note 7: The “nia” ending is commonly used.
Examples: Albania, Armenia, Romania, Slovenia, Estonia
Latin Roots: Many country names ending in “-nia” derive from Latin or Greek origins, where “-ia” was a common suffix for lands or regions (e.g., Armenia, Romania). These are all feminine.
Italian Phonetics: Italian prefers words to end in vowels, and “-nia” is a smooth, melodic ending that fits the language’s rhythm.
Note 8: Nationalities derive from country names usually, with exceptions.
Examples: italiano/italiana/italiani/italiane, francese/francesi, argentino/argentina/argentini/argentine
Italian uses specific suffixes, such as -ese/esi, -ano/ana, -ino/ina and others that are added to the end of a country name to form the nationality. See: The Intrepid Guide - Countries and Nationalities in Italian Cheat-Sheet
Exceptions: tedesco/tedesca/tedeschi/tedesche, greco/greca/greci/greche, olandese/olandese/olandesi/olandesi, britannico/britannica/britannici/britanniche, svizzero/svizzera/svizzeri/svizzere
Note 9: Some Italian names different from English.
Examples: Regno Unito, Corea del Sud. See: Italian Country Names: Regions & Meanings | Vaia
Italian often prefers clarity and context, especially for compound or political names.
Some names reflect historical relationships or colonial-era naming conventions.
It’s also a way to preserve meaning when a direct translation might be ambiguous or misleading.
Note 10: Some names don’t change how they are written between English and Italian, though pronunciation may vary.
Examples: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Australia, Bermuda
Comprehensive list: List of Countries of the World in Italian, Nomi di paesi in italiano - Nations Online Project
Note 1: The basics: pronunciation and writing.
Don’t forget vowels at the end of country names, and to sound them out as they should be in Italian. Examples: Russia, Albania.
Italian is a phonetic language: Every written vowel is meant to be pronounced, so dropping it changes the sound, and sometimes the meaning, of the word.
In English, we often clip or swallow final syllables (“Romania” might come out as “Roman-yuh”), but in Italian, Romania is Ro-ma-ní-a, each vowel crisp and distinct.
Don’t anglicize vowels. For example, don't turn the Italian “a” into an English “uh” or “ay.”
Watch which syllable you stress. For example, in English, Romania is pronounced “ro-MAY-nee-uh", and in Italian, “ro-ma-NEE-a".
In Italian, the stressed syllable for countries is on the penultimate syllable except for compound forms (Stati Uniti, Costa d’Avorio) or foreign names used untranslated.
Standard country names don’t use written accents or diacritics. Example: Côte d’Ivoire → Costa d’Avorio. México instead of Messico, it’s a foreignism, not an Italian spelling.
All articles are used, but “La” is most common.
Examples of “La”: la Grecia, la Scozia, l’Italia
Examples of “Il”: il Portogallo, il Giappone, il Brasile
Examples of “Gli”: gli Stati Uniti, gli Emirati Arabi Uniti
Examples of “Le”: le Filippine, le Maldive
Examples of “I”: i Paesi Bassi, i Caraibi
Note 3: When to use articles.
A few countries are used without an article. Examples: Israel, Cipro, Malta, Singapore, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, Haiti, and Cuba. They are used without article for historical, linguistic, and stylistic reasons.
Articles aren’t used with prepositions like “in” or “a” for travel or location.
- Vado in Germania.
- Sono in Francia.
- Vivo a Cuba.
When the country name is treated as a proper noun in isolation, the article isn’t used.
- Italia è bellissima.
- Francia ha una lunga storia.
Note 4: Most country names end in vowels, but not all do.
Examples of countries that don't end in a vowel in Italian: Chad, Niger, Qatar, Yemen, Nepal, Bangladesh, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Pakistan
For some modern or politically sensitive names, the original spelling is preserved for clarity or respect.
Countries with short, consonant-ending names are more likely to remain unchanged.
Note 5: Modifications: drop the H, change the X, change the PH.
Examples of X to SS: Mexico => Messico, Luxembourg => Lussemburgo
Examples of H removed: Chile => Cile, China => Cina, Thailand => Tailandia, Ethiopia => Etiopia
Examples of PH to F: Philippines => Filippine
Note 6: Many countries are feminine, but not all.
Examples: la Danimarca, la Francia, la Spagna
Many country names in Italian derive from Latin, where the names of lands and regions were often feminine.
The feminine form often reflected the idea of a territory or land, which was conceptually treated as feminine.
Countries are often seen as collective entities or abstract concepts, which tend to be feminine in Italian.
Examples: la Danimarca, la Francia, la Spagna
Many country names in Italian derive from Latin, where the names of lands and regions were often feminine.
The feminine form often reflected the idea of a territory or land, which was conceptually treated as feminine.
Countries are often seen as collective entities or abstract concepts, which tend to be feminine in Italian.
Examples: Albania, Armenia, Romania, Slovenia, Estonia
Latin Roots: Many country names ending in “-nia” derive from Latin or Greek origins, where “-ia” was a common suffix for lands or regions (e.g., Armenia, Romania). These are all feminine.
Italian Phonetics: Italian prefers words to end in vowels, and “-nia” is a smooth, melodic ending that fits the language’s rhythm.
Examples: italiano/italiana/italiani/italiane, francese/francesi, argentino/argentina/argentini/argentine
Italian uses specific suffixes, such as -ese/esi, -ano/ana, -ino/ina and others that are added to the end of a country name to form the nationality. See: The Intrepid Guide - Countries and Nationalities in Italian Cheat-Sheet
Exceptions: tedesco/tedesca/tedeschi/tedesche, greco/greca/greci/greche, olandese/olandese/olandesi/olandesi, britannico/britannica/britannici/britanniche, svizzero/svizzera/svizzeri/svizzere
Examples: Regno Unito, Corea del Sud. See: Italian Country Names: Regions & Meanings | Vaia
Italian often prefers clarity and context, especially for compound or political names.
Some names reflect historical relationships or colonial-era naming conventions.
It’s also a way to preserve meaning when a direct translation might be ambiguous or misleading.
Examples: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Australia, Bermuda
Comprehensive list: List of Countries of the World in Italian, Nomi di paesi in italiano - Nations Online Project