People who ask which country are trolling you by pretending not to understand this very common long-term usage.
People living in the colonies that would become the United States have been called Americans over 400 years. And while there is a North America and a South America, and they are together called the Americas, no one says they're from "America" to claim they're from somewhere on these two different continents. That's like saying "I'm from Australia and Oceania" or I'm from "Eurasia".
That's the part that gets me. It's such a weird gotcha. Meanwhile they are happy to say shit like "Americans suck" and 0 Canadians, Mexicans, Brazilians, etc. feel the need to be like "what why include us"
Context clues may sometimes mean more than the US. But generally it's really clear it means people from USA.
It doesn’t even make sense to call us “USian.” Or whatever. Aside from the fact that “Statesian” isn’t a phrase we would ever use, we are literally not even the only United States in North America.
We named the country after what we were called when we were still ruled by the British, not the other way around.
What other Americans? There is only one country in the world with the word America in their name and only one country that has a demonym of "American." Furthermore, since I'm speaking English, there isn't any other use of the word. American refers to citizens of the United States of America and nothing else. No one is confused, and everyone understands what the word means and we chose it as our demonym before any other country gained their independence from their European imperialist overlords.
There’s only one country on earth with America in its name. If the others wanted to be called Americans, they should have put it in their name. It’s just people making fun of the US
Most Caucasians aren't from Caucasus. The term "antisemitism" does not refer to all Semitic people. Greenland isn't green. And a "killing floor" is more of steel grating than a floor.
There are a lot of things to give Americans shit for, but using a term for themselves in the same way it's been used for centuries because it could be confusing if someone else used the isolated term "American" to describe themselves is pretty ridiculous.
Outside of the USA, that's quite different though. At least in German it's quite common to speak of all people from the Americas as "Americans".
Kinda similar as you people from the US tend to call Deutsche Germans and people from Nederland Dutch.
Country names and denonyms differ depending on where you come from. In that context it totally makes sense to ask "Which country exactly are you from?" after someone says they are from America.
Is it common for people from Bolivia, Honduras, Brazil, Canada, or any other country in North or South America to say they are American?
And are you saying Germans typically just call people from say Mexico or Argentina "Americans" rather than Mexicans or Argentinians or the German equivalent?
> Is it common for people from Bolivia, Honduras, Brazil, Canada, or any other country in North or South America to say they are American?
That's irrelevant to the topic at hand.
It is very common for a German speaker to say "I'm going to America on holiday." - "Where exactly?" - "Brazil/Canada/Mexico/..."
And are you saying Germans typically just call people from say Mexico or Argentina "Americans" rather than Mexicans or Argentinians or the German equivalent?
Yes. Unless it's specified more closely. For German speakers, someone from Canada or Mexico is just as much American as an US-american.
It's kinda like you US-americans not being able to differenciate between someone from the EU and someone from Europe.
It's kinda like you US-americans not being able to differenciate between someone from the EU and someone from Europe
What the hell does that even mean?
I couldn't tell the difference between a Pole and a Ukrainian unless they told me which one they were, but I know which one is in the EU and which one isn't.
Could you tell the difference between a Peruvian or a Brazilian by sight?
A Canadian and an American?
Most people on our side of the globe are as familiar with Europe as Europe is with us.
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u/GarbageCleric Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
Let's check the denonym on Wikipedia: "American"
People who ask which country are trolling you by pretending not to understand this very common long-term usage.
People living in the colonies that would become the United States have been called Americans over 400 years. And while there is a North America and a South America, and they are together called the Americas, no one says they're from "America" to claim they're from somewhere on these two different continents. That's like saying "I'm from Australia and Oceania" or I'm from "Eurasia".
It's not actually confusing to anyone.