Have you been wanting to know how to say the names of countries in Welsh? Growing up in North Wales in a Welsh-speaking school, my geography classroom was plastered with Welsh maps of the world!
Although I'm very familiar with the Welsh names for countries, these days like most Welsh speakers, I am more likely to use the English names in a Welsh accent. Nonetheless, in this guide, I'll provide Welsh translations for the continents, countries, and nationalities of the world.
Names of Continents in Welsh
What are the names of the "cyfandiroedd" (continents) in Welsh?
Fun Fact: "Cyfan" means "whole", while "tir" means "land" - so a "cyfandir", a continent, is a whole piece of land.
The English origins of most continent names are based on other languages, such as Latin or Greek, so don't be surprised that most of these are very similar to what you know.
| English | Welsh |
| North America | Gogledd America |
| South America | De America |
| Europe | Ewrop |
| Africa | Affrica |
| Asia | Asia (pronounced "Adz-ia" rather than "AI-dza" |
| Australasia | Awstralasia |
| Antarctica | Antarctica |
UK Constituent Countries in Welsh
Things start to look a little more interesting when we get to the constituent countries of the United Kingdom.
By the way, the United Kingdom is y Ddeurnas Unedig or y DU for short. You could also say Prydain Fawr, aka Great Britain, although remember that Great Britain doesn't include Northern Ireland.
Here are the names of the UK constituent countries in Welsh:
| English | Welsh |
| Wales | Cymru (KYM-rih) |
| England | Lloegr (LLOI-y-gur) |
| Scotland | Yr Alban |
| Northern Ireland | Gogledd Iwerddon |
European Countries in Welsh
What you might notice as we start to venture out of the UK and into Europe is that some names seem very similar to what they are in English, while a handful might be completely different.
I won't go into the etymology too much here, but if the word is nothing like its English counterpart, a quick look into it will probably lead you to some interesting stories!
If you don't see the country you're looking for, that means the name is exactly the same is Welsh (although the pronunciation may be different.
| English | Welsh |
| Austria | Awstria |
| Belarus | Belarws |
| Belgium | Gwlad Belg |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bosnia a Hercegovina |
| Bulgaria | Bwlgaria |
| Czech Republic | Y Weriniaeth Tsiec |
| Denmark | Denmarc |
| Finland | Y Ffindir |
| France | Ffrainc |
| Germany | Yr Almaen |
| Greece | Groeg |
| Hungary | Hwngari |
| Iceland | Gwlad yr Iâ |
| Ireland | Iwerddon |
| Italy | Yr Eidal |
| Latvia | Latfia |
| Lithuania | Lithwania |
| Luxembourg | Lwcsembwrg |
| Moldova | Moldofa |
| Netherlands | Yr Iseldiroedd |
| North Macedonia | Gogledd Macedonia |
| Norway | Norwy |
| Poland | Gwlad Pwyl |
| Portugal | Portiwgal |
| Romania | Rwmania |
| Russia | Rwsia |
| Slovakia | Slofacia |
| Slovenia | Slofenia |
| Spain | Sbaen |
| Switzerland | Y Swistir |
| Ukraine | Wcráin |
Rest of the World Countries in Welsh
Again, if you don't see the country you're looking for, that means it's exactly the same in Welsh as in English.
As long as you learn the rules of pronunciation for Welsh - which are pretty consistent with spelling - you will be able to work out how to pronounce them.
You may also notice here that the word is the same as in English, but the spelling has been changed to fit in with Welsh (e.g. V becomes F, but it is pronounced the same).
| English | Welsh |
| Afghanistan | Affganistan |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Antigwa a Barbiwda |
| Argentina | Yr Ariannin |
| Australia | Awstralia |
| Azerbaijan | Aserbaijan |
| Bahamas | Y Bahamas |
| Bhutan | Bhwtan |
| Bolivia | Bolifia |
| Brazil | Brasil |
| Burundi | Bwrwndi |
| Cameroon | Camerŵn |
| Central African Republic | Gweriniaeth Canolbarth Affrica |
| Chad | Tchad |
| China | Tsieina (Gweriniaeth Pobl Tsieina) |
| Cuba | Ciwba |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Gweriniaeth Ddemocrataidd Congo |
| Dominican Republic | Gweriniaeth Dominica |
| East Timor | Dwyrain Timor |
| Ecuador | Ecwador |
| Egypt | Yr Aifft |
| Equatorial Guinea | Gini Gyhydeddol |
| Fiji | Ffiji |
| Gambia | Y Gambia |
| Guinea | Gini |
| Guyana | Gaiana |
| Honduras | Hondwras |
| Iraq | Irac |
| Jordan | Iorddonen |
| Kazakhstan | |
| Lebanon | Libanus |
| Libya | Libia |
| Marshall Islands | Ynysoedd Marshall |
| Mexico | Mecsico |
| Morocco | Moroco |
| Mozambique | Mosambic |
| New Zealand | Seland Newydd |
| Nicaragua | Nicaragwa |
| North Korea | Gogledd Corea |
| Pakistan | Pacistan |
| Papua New Guinea | Papua Guinea Newydd |
| Paraguay | Paragwâi |
| Peru | Periw |
| Philippines | Y Philipinau |
| Republic of the Congo | Gweriniaeth y Congo |
| Solomon Islands | Ynysoedd Solomon |
| South Africa | De Affrica |
| South Korea | De Corea |
| South Sudan | De Swdan |
| Suriname | Swrinam |
| Swaziland | Gwlad Swazi |
| Tanzania | Tansanïa |
| Thailand | Gwlad Thai |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Trinidad a Thobago |
| Turkey | Twrci |
| Tuvalu | Twfalw |
| Uganda | Wganda |
| United Arab Emirates | Yr Emiradau Arabaidd Unedig |
| United States of America | Unol Daleithiau America |
| Uruguay | Wrwgwái |
| Uzbekistan | Wsbecistan |
| Vatican City | Dinas y Fatican |
| Venezuela | Feneswela |
| Vietnam | Fietnam |
Other Places Names in Welsh
Here, I've included a few other place names that are not technically sovereign countries in their own right, but that may have interesting names in Welsh, as well as some cities - these are mostly cities in the UK, but you'll spot a couple of others, too!
| English | Welsh |
| (The “Colony”), Patagonia | Y Wladfa, Patagonia |
| Greenland | Yr Ynys Las |
| Christmas Island | Ynys y Nadolig |
| Guernsey | Ynys y Garn |
| Isle of Man | Ynys Manaw |
| Brittany (France) | Llydaw |
| London | Llundain |
| Manchester | Manceinion |
| New York | Efrog Newydd |
| Cardiff | Caerdydd |
| Edinburgh | Caer Edin |
| Earth | Y ddaear |
| Equator | Cyhydedd |
| Dublin | Dulyn |
| Swansea | Abertawe |
| Cornwall | Cernyw |
Nationalities in Welsh
Here you'll find some nationalities in Welsh. What I have mostly listed is the neutral adjective to describe a person from that country, for example "Ffrenig" would be used to say that somebody is French. However, a French man would be a "Ffrancwr" and a French woman a "Ffrances". I will include a few of these that may be especially useful to know!
| English | Welsh |
| American | Americanaidd (Americanwr / Americanes) |
| Argentinian | Archentwr |
| Australian | Awstraliadd |
| Austrian | Awstriaidd |
| Belgian | Belgaidd |
| Breton | Llydaweg |
| British | Prydeinig |
| Canadian | Canadaidd |
| Czech | Tsiecaidd |
| Egyptian | Eifftaidd |
| English | Seisnig (Sais / Saesnes) |
| French | Ffrenig (Ffrancwr / Ffrances) |
| German | Almaenig (Almaenwr / Almaenes) |
| Greek | Groegaidd |
| Irish | Gwyddelig (Gwyddel / Gwyddeles) |
| Italian | Eidalaidd |
| New Zealander | Selandwr Newydd |
| Polish | Pwylaidd |
| Scottish | Albanaidd (Albanwr / Albanes) |
| South African | De Affricanaidd |
| Spanish | Sbaenaidd |
| Welsh | Cymreig (Cymro / Cymraes) |
In terms of using these in everyday conversation, I would advise that as long as you know the names for the nations of the United Kingdom, as well as a few of the city names in Welsh, and you're able to get the hang of pronunciation - then you don't really need to worry about the rest.
The average Welsh person is unlikely to say "Yr Ynys Las" as opposed to "Grîn-land", for example. It takes time to work out how to say almost any word in a Welsh accent, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to guess your way through most country and city names with no problem at all!
Published: 5 April 2023