If you're Asian-American, at some (or many) points this will inevitably be followed up by, "Yes, but where are you from?" or some variant of that (including but not limited to, "Where are you from from?", "Where are you originally from?", "Where were you born?", "Where are your parents from?", "Are you Chinese/Japanese/Korean/Vietnamese/etc...?" Sometimes, they might even disregard your answer altogether and tell you, "Wow your English is really good."). (And if you're Hispanic, Latino, Mexican, Dominican, what have you, many people will just lump them all together.)
Though this question might offend some, people are (usually) not trying to be rude when they ask--they're just curious about your ethnicity.
If you're Asian-American (or Asian-Australian, Asian-Canadian, Asian-anything-that's-not-Asia) and in Asia, it gets even more interesting.
Now in Korea, to ask someone where they're from, Koreans will either ask, "어디에서 오셨어요?" ("Where are you from?") or "어느 나라 사람이예요?" (Literally "Which country's person are you?"). Likewise, to ask in Chinese you'd say, “你是從哪裡來？” (Where are you from?") or “你是哪國人？” ("Which country's person are you?") Now to answer "Where are you from?" you can just tell them you are from America (if you are) and to answer "Which country's person are you?" you would say (for Americans), "저는 미국 사람이예요/我是美國人."
The term for American (미국 사람 in Korean, 美國人 in Chinese), or for any nationality, follows the format of Country-사람/人 (which means person). Now this is interesting because it carries with it a tone of being from that country which, in the case of America, of course I am, but if I wanted to say I was Chinese, I can't say 저는 중국 사람이예요/我是中國人 because both phrases carry the implication that I'm from China rather than being Chinese.
In my experiences in both South Korea and Taiwan, telling people, "저는 미국 사람이예요/我是美國人" has confused the heck out of some because honestly they don't expect it (remember the shop-owner in Korea who was trying to guess where I was from?), but in Taiwan they would then ask to clarify, “你是華僑嗎？" or "你是華人嗎？" both of which mean, "Are you Chinese?" but refer to your ethnicity rather than the country you're from. I'm sure there's an equivalent to that in Korean too, but I don't know it.
Now if they're asking in English, the phrasing might be more akin to the "Where are you really from?" question. I have discovered that, in both Korea and Taiwan, people don't really know how to ask about your ethnicity when speaking in English. In Korea, we met a German student who was obviously of Asian descent. One of the Korean student volunteers asked where he was from and when he replied that he was from Germany, she tried asking, "But what are you?" which in America can be considered kind of offensive (the German student was just really confused). Likewise, while I've been here in Taiwan, some Taiwanese students have asked in response to "America," "Where were you born?" or "Where is your family from?" or just plain and simple, "Are you Chinese?" Again, in asking this, they are really not trying to be rude, they're just curious (and maybe a little confused) about your ethnicity and don't know how to phrase the question.
It's an interesting thing, being Asian-American because in America, I would identify with being Chinese. If someone were to ask me I would simply say I'm Chinese, not Chinese-American, which I can't say in Korea or Taiwan because 중국 사람/中國人 implies that I am from China so I would have to say that I'm American.
On a side note, a Chinese woman in New York once stopped me to ask for directions and when she asked (in Cantonese) if I was a 中國人, I replied that no, I was a 美國人, so used was I to answering that I was an American when speaking another language. Her response was an almost-exasperated sigh as she said, "我知你係美國人，但係我嘅意思係你係唔係Chinese?" which translates to, "I know you are American, but my meaning is are you Chinese?" Oops. Haha, so in the United States, it could be used to simply mean of Chinese ethnicity and not necessarily from China. So before you automatically say that you're an American, remember to think about where you are when you answer this question!
Last note: if you're shy like me and have trouble approaching people and making new friends, you should at least try to talk to people because foreigners who are looking to befriend other foreigners will probably assume you're a local, while natives who want to make foreign friends will also assume you're a local so you get overlooked. I was once out with my white friend in Korea and the couple the next table over saw us and asked if my friend was from America and where. When she told them that she was from Boston and I from New York, they did a double take and asked if I wasn't Korean. Likewise in trying to help an international student from France who was having some communication problems this morning, he asked why my English was so like an American's and seemed surprised when I told him I was from America. Moral of the story is that people aren't going to know you're also another lost foreign student just like them unless you tell them so, so go out there and make the first move! I'm not saying to run around broadcasting that you're American to anyone who looks like they speak English, but you have to be willing to put yourself out there if you want to make friends. Even if it's scary.
Everyday Chinese
- 你是從哪裡來？/你是哪國人？(Nǐ shì cóng nǎlǐ lái?/Nǐ shì nǎ guórén?) - Where are you from?
- 我是從美國來的 (Wǒ shì cóng měiguó lái de) - I am from America
- 我是美國人 (Wǒ shì měiguó rén) - I am American
- 美國/美國人 (Měiguó/Měiguó rén) - America/American
- 中國/中國人 (Zhōngguó/Zhōngguó rén) - China/Chinese (implication of being from China)
- 你是華僑嗎？/你是華人嗎？(Nǐ shì huáqiáo ma?/Nǐ shì huárén ma) - Are you Chinese? (As in of Chinese descent)
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