Country Codes

CN, US, JP — Common Country Codes at a Glance

Searching by Chinese name, English name, or any code format will match results. Below is a lookup of the most-used country codes in foreign trade, cross-border e-commerce, and API development, so you can quickly find which country a given code refers to.

• CN / CHN = China (numeric 156, code +86)
• US / USA = United States (numeric 840, code +1)
• JP / JPN = Japan (numeric 392, code +81)
• GB / GBR = United Kingdom (numeric 826, code +44, domain .uk)
• DE / DEU = Germany (numeric 276, code +49)
• FR / FRA = France (numeric 250, code +33)
• KR / KOR = South Korea (numeric 410, code +82)
• AU / AUS = Australia (numeric 036, code +61)
• CA / CAN = Canada (numeric 124, code +1)
• RU / RUS = Russia (numeric 643, code +7)
• IN / IND = India (numeric 356, code +91)
• BR / BRA = Brazil (numeric 076, code +55)
• CH / CHE = Switzerland (numeric 756, code +41)
• SG / SGP = Singapore (numeric 702, code +65)
• NL / NLD = Netherlands (numeric 528, code +31)

The codes you use most when preparing trade documents, labeling cross-border e-commerce items, or validating international API fields can all be looked up quickly on this page. Two facts are easy to confuse: first, the UK code is GB/GBR but its domain is .uk (not .gb); second, CH is Switzerland (Confederatio Helvetica) while CN is China.

What Is the Difference Between Alpha-2 and Alpha-3, and When to Use Which

The Alpha-2 code (e.g., CN, US, JP) is the most commonly used ISO 3166-1 format: it is short and easy to type, and is widely used for Internet domain suffixes (CN → .cn), language and region tags (zh-CN), e-commerce and logistics address fields, and the country field of most development APIs. Prefer Alpha-2 for everyday forms and code.

The Alpha-3 code (e.g., CHN, USA, JPN) is more distinctive and less prone to confusion, and appears often in international sporting events (Olympic scoreboards show CHN, USA), UN and World Bank statistical databases, and formal documents such as passports and visas. Use the Alpha-3 when the Alpha-2 could be ambiguous or when a system explicitly requires three letters. The two correspond one-to-one under ISO 3166-1 and can be viewed together in the table above.

What Is a Numeric Code, and Why Do Some Country Codes Start with 0

The numeric code is a three-digit identifier ISO 3166-1 assigns to every country and region, such as China 156, the US 840, and Japan 392. It depends on no written language, making it ideal for exchanging data between systems using different character sets, and it is often used in finance, customs, and statistics.

Codes start with 0 because the numeric code is always three digits: countries numbered below 100 are padded with leading zeros. For example, Afghanistan is 004, Albania is 008, and Argentina is 032. Do not drop these zeros—when filling in documents or API fields, keep the full three-digit format or validation may fail.

What Is the Difference Between a Country Code and a Domain Suffix

The two are often confused but serve different purposes. A country code (this page) is an alphabetic identifier under the ISO 3166-1 standard used for data exchange and standardized statistics; a domain suffix (such as .cn or .uk) is a top-level Internet domain used for website addresses. In most cases they match: CN → .cn, JP → .jp.

The most commonly asked exception is the UK: its ISO code is GB/GBR, but its Internet domain is .uk. South Africa (ISO code ZA) also uses .za—an exception rooted in historical naming conventions. To look up domain suffixes, see Domain Codes.

Which Countries Do Numeric Codes 156, 840, and 392 Refer To

Numeric code 156 is China, 840 the United States, 392 Japan, 826 the UK, 276 Germany, and 250 France. Numeric codes depend on no written language, so they are ideal for exchanging data between systems that use different character sets; when filling in customs, finance, or statistics fields, keep the full three-digit format including any leading zero.

Which Countries Are Area Codes +86, +1, and +81 For

+86 is the international calling code for China, +1 is shared by the US and Canada, +81 is Japan, +44 is the UK, +49 is Germany, and +33 is France. When organizing international contacts or making cross-border calls, the leading + indicates international dialing, and you can cross-check against the area-code column on this page.

What Are CNY and USD, and How Do They Relate to Country Codes

The "Currency" column shows each country's ISO 4217 currency code, such as CNY for China, USD for the US, JPY for Japan, GBP for the UK, and EUR for the eurozone. These come from a different standard than country codes (CN, US, JP): currency codes are defined by ISO 4217, while country codes are defined by ISO 3166-1, and the two do not map one-to-one—a single currency may cover many countries (EUR is used by Germany, France, the Netherlands, and dozens of eurozone countries), and a single country may use multiple currencies.

The common question "Which currency is CNY?" is answered by China, and "Which currency is USD?" by the United States. For currency symbols, exchange-rate conversions, or more national currencies, see World Currencies. When filling in cross-border payments, customs declarations, or financial systems, verify the currency code and country code separately—they cannot substitute for each other.

Country Codes and Calling Codes Are Two Separate Standards and Cannot Be Derived from Each Other

People often ask whether knowing country code CN lets you derive the calling code +86—the answer is no. Country codes (CN, US, JP) come from ISO 3166-1, managed by the International Organization for Standardization; calling codes (+86, +1, +81) come from ITU-T E.164, allocated by the International Telecommunication Union. The two standards number themselves independently with no conversion rule between them. For example, Canada's country code is CA, but its calling code is +1 like the US; the US country code is US and its code is +1; the two have no numerical relationship.

So once you find a country code, you still need to check the area code separately, either in the area-code column here or on the International Area Codes page; you cannot infer it from the code. For foreign trade documents and contact-list management, country code and calling code are two separate fields to fill in.

What Is ISO 3166-1, and Why Do Country Codes Follow It

ISO 3166-1 is a country and region code standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It defines three formats: Alpha-2, Alpha-3, and numeric codes. Following it guarantees that different countries and different systems describe country codes consistently, avoiding confusion between spellings like CN/CHN/156. All codes on this page are compiled in accordance with this standard.

Frequently Asked Questions