amerikaan

Amerikaan is a Dutch demonym and noun meaning a person from the United States of America. It is used to refer to someone who holds American citizenship or is associated with the United States. The term also appears in adjectival phrases to describe things related to the United States, such as Amerikaans (American) and Amerikaanse (feminine form used with nouns like cultuur or film).

In standard Dutch, the plural form is Amerikanen. The female form of the noun is typically expressed through the accompanying noun or adjective rather than a separate common form; for example, comerciales such as een Amerikaanse vrouw or Amerikaanse cultuur are used when gender is specified or when describing attributes rather than naming a person. The word is common in both the Netherlands and Dutch-speaking Belgium (Flanders).

Origins of the term trace back to Amerika, the Dutch name for the American continent, with usage developing in the early modern period to denote residents of the United States. Today, Amerikaan is widely understood in Dutch-language contexts and appears in media, literature, and everyday language as the standard demonym for people from the United States. It should not be confused with demonyms for other American countries; those use language specific to each nation, such as Canadees for Canada or Argentijn for Argentina.