Do you often get confused for a different ethnicity when you’re abroad? If yes, which ones do you mostly get mistaken for?
Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 242 comments
idkmanijustdo@reddit
Im Romanian and my skin is darker . Im not Romani ( not that this would be a problem). People keep asking if im Turkish:)))
casual_philosopher02@reddit
I was called Belarusian in here if that counts🤣🤣 ... Jokes aside I have a "you could be from anywhere in Europe" type of face
Objective-Elk2501@reddit
In what context does someone get called Belarusian?
casual_philosopher02@reddit
he was trolling 100%
Objective-Elk2501@reddit
Yeah but what was the context of the interaction
casual_philosopher02@reddit
someone said I can't be the person of the picture and he replied that I am his Belarusian cousin as a joke🤣
ZhiveBeIarus@reddit
That's a great compliment, Belarus is an amazing country!
casual_philosopher02@reddit
Okay I forgot we have you hereee, I need a Belarusian name to see how do they even look
ZhiveBeIarus@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/phenotypes/s/0APmlvQpME
https://www.reddit.com/r/phenotypes/s/vWQdlwPqGY
https://www.reddit.com/r/phenotypes/s/p05PLtmfhw
https://www.reddit.com/r/phenotypes/s/PzFkW4emzr
Here are some Belarusians i posted a while back on a different subreddit, ig they look like other Eastern Europeans.
casual_philosopher02@reddit
oh so it is a broader look than I thought
oxi_plastika@reddit
Nothing good
ApartmentFrosty4676@reddit
Wow, if it is your pic on the profile, I would also think you are Ukrainian 😆 (that being said, I am Ukrainian hahaha, I should know better). Or Bulgarian!
Thrustdamage22@reddit
the shirt is literally a dead giveaway so calling him anything else is wild. guessing ukrainian when the eagle is right there is top tier comedy though.
casual_philosopher02@reddit
he was talking about me I think
ApartmentFrosty4676@reddit
I was replying to the other comment lol I never commented on the guy's nationality
casual_philosopher02@reddit
it is me yes! so they have a point when calling me that?
onarainyafternoon@reddit
You look extremely Ukrainian to me too, yeah
casual_philosopher02@reddit
so we found the culprit?
onarainyafternoon@reddit
The milkman must have been Ukrainian or something
casual_philosopher02@reddit
I look too much like my dad
ApartmentFrosty4676@reddit
I think so! After all, a typical (real, unmixed) Ukrainian woman from the poems and songs has fair skin, dark (black) hair, dark eyes and dark eyebrows! From the first glance I would assume you are Ukrainian. Ofc when I take a longer and closer look on your picture, I see Balkans all over your face 😀 However, I wouldn't automatically assume Greek! Just out of curiosity, have you ever taken a genetic test like myheritage? It would be fun to see)
casual_philosopher02@reddit
my name is also Andrmache, she was an Amazonian so I will embrace the Ukrainian (I think Amazonians lived there according to ancient greeks). I have not but I have been thinking it
Karamazovakis@reddit
Nah not all of Europe, no way german/anglosaxon for example (that's a good thing). Your face suggests southern europe, because of the big eyes mostly
Soggy_Experience_688@reddit
Anglo Saxons and Germans usally look very good tho.
casual_philosopher02@reddit
if you ask me I personally think I look very Greek
imma_catlady_ho@reddit
This is so funny because I'm Turkish, and I'm surprised that you look like me. The eye area, overall face structure, lips, and nose are very similar. The only difference is the coloring, because I have high contrast features: dark hair, pale skin, and hazel eyes. And I'm an Aegean Turk.
casual_philosopher02@reddit
so do I get to live double life as a Hadize let's say?
imma_catlady_ho@reddit
Apparently we were separated at birth and ended up on opposite sides of the Aegean. Mystery solved.
casual_philosopher02@reddit
100% (I am from the Ionian side, lets pretend)
imma_catlady_ho@reddit
Long lost twins, separated by the Aegean, reunited by the internet. .
IN005@reddit
Even tho a lot of nationalist turks will disagree with me, a lot of you have greek ancestors that got conquered and forced into islam and the turkish culture. Especially you as an aegean turk will probably have huge parts of your ancestry be greek, much more likeky than nomadic turks from the steppe in turkmenistan. Its not even that long ago that both christian and muslim greeks lived side by side.
imma_catlady_ho@reddit
This is likely, but I think that how we identify is more important than our ancestry. After all, there is no one in the world who is purely one ethnicity. I'm sure I have Turkic ancestry, as well as ancestry from some other ethnic groups.
IN005@reddit
Very true.
I'm german and live in nothern germany and have confirmed ancestry from the königsberg region (nowadays russian kaliningrad) so very likely also baltic ancestry and confirmed ancestry from the sudetenland (nowadays czechia), so very likely slavic ancestry too. Yet i see myself more as a person from my area than anything else.
But as a german it's good to know your ancestry so you can avoid certain things like stuff that happend not even 100 years ago xD
imma_catlady_ho@reddit
Exactly. History and ancestry are interesting, but at the end of the day I think the culture you grow up in and the people around you shape you much more than a DNA test ever could.
oxi_plastika@reddit
You look like you study in Thessaloniki on your 5th year , either φιλολογία or παιδαγωγικά
casual_philosopher02@reddit
φιλολογία τελείωσα ΑΧΑΧΑΧΧΑΧΧΧΑ, όχι Θεσσαλονίκη μόνο
oxi_plastika@reddit
Χαχαχχαχα να πω την αλήθεια δεν περίμενα να το πετύχω
fancywipe@reddit
Not really
casual_philosopher02@reddit
wanna make me cry? axaxxaaxa
Ur-Best-Friend@reddit
Nah you really do look very hard to pin down.
You don't exactly look very Germanic or Scandinavian, but if you told me you had West or South Slavic, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Greek roots I wouldn't question any of it.
casual_philosopher02@reddit
yeeeees that is what I meant, I look generally european axaxaxaxa
Karamazovakis@reddit
Yeah I agree. I would even guess from the Dodecanese or Crete.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Karamazovakis@reddit
I've met cretan girls with brunette/blue eye combo 🤷
Substantial-Peach-90@reddit
Yeah, me too, I’ve met many brunette/blue eyed cretans too, I don’t know how it works
casual_philosopher02@reddit
yes but with different facial features and like a head shorter than me on average
casual_philosopher02@reddit
nah, I look nothing like a cretan or islander, I have been
ilikedogsandfrogs@reddit
Same type of face, have been called Greek before.
casual_philosopher02@reddit
oh where are you from?
ilikedogsandfrogs@reddit
Belarus
casual_philosopher02@reddit
oh I don't know of any!
BamBumKiofte23@reddit
I mean, if we're talking about trolls here and not serious answers I get called "not a Greek" frequently despite me being fluent in hristopanagíes.
jessythirsttrap@reddit
the hristopanagies check is practically a citizenship test by fire at this point. honestly if you drop a string of those and they still try to gatekeep your heritage then you are just dealing with a level of delusion that no logic can fix. people love to act like they own the aesthetic of an entire country.
casual_philosopher02@reddit
and they don't reply with aide re kefte? you have the perfect name for that axaxxaa
BamBumKiofte23@reddit
Constant-Unit5846@reddit
You could pass as Serbian. I'm Serbian from Republic of Srpska (B&H) and I know a lot of girls here with similar face features, eyes, hair color...
casual_philosopher02@reddit
oh so I can pass all over the Balkans easily?
Constant-Unit5846@reddit
I think yes, especially in ex yu countries. I didn't meet a lot of Greeks, but you don't look typically Greek to me.
casual_philosopher02@reddit
I am a mainland Pelloponnesian, ultral local greek I would say
Substantial-Peach-90@reddit
Yeah it’s true, you have that type of face indeed
AdHour7695@reddit
My parents at least said that when they lived in France ppl always told them they look or sound like Spanish or Italian when in fact they are Romanian.
yuri_nomoru122@reddit
I was confused for: German, Turkish, Greek, Serb, Ukrainian and Russian
baka22b@reddit
I have been called anything from Polish to Lebanese
jessySwell14@reddit
the classic balkans experience of being perceived as literally anyone but your own nationality. the spectrum from polish to lebanese is wild but somehow on brand for this region.
Character-Pirate1297@reddit
LOL
Dull_Cucumber_3908@reddit
I have the opposite problem: when I'm in Greece, Greeks confuse me and think that I'm a tourist :\
spallettioutista@reddit
This dude is obviously terrone like me, he seems like Foggia people
DropItLowjessy83@reddit
foggia is a wild shout but i see it. look at the shirt though, man is literally wearing the flag on his chest and people still out here guessing. he screams albanian from a mile away.
iheartloud420@reddit
I terroni sono invece albanesi
spallettioutista@reddit
No cap
Gold-Ad-2581@reddit
Before seeing t-shirt I already know the answer
Upstairs_Customer912@reddit
Me too 😂
bipolar1_baby325@reddit
As if Romanian or south Italian is a compliment anyway
Giantdwarf3@reddit
When i lived in the netherlands for a year in some shittty suburban town i got told to go back to marroco couple of times in the bus 😂
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Your ancestors walked so that those swamp nazis could run today.
DoctorTarantula05@reddit
From nigeria
-as a macedonian
Aulawabe@reddit
I'm Serb from Bosnia. I wouldn't say I pass as a local by looks, people usually think I'm from one of the Central European countries.
FalsettoBalsamico@reddit
I get confused for a different ethnicity by locals in my country, I don't need to leave to be told I look like a foreigner.
hamsifalacata@reddit
I used to live in Antalya, Turkey. And I often got confused for being a German or Russian tourist. Only because I have blonde hair (it’s not a light blonde either, it darkened even more over the years).
bigasslemons@reddit
Latina or middle eastern
Stverghame@reddit
Does your username imply the Latina association?
bigasslemons@reddit
Public-Initiative509@reddit
I am generally mistaken for Bosnian, Polish, Russian, Dutch, English and more by all kinds of people, but mainly these. I am Turkish with very fair skin, green eyes and dark blonde/ash brown hair.
AlternativeDraw1795@reddit
You are similar to me then except I'm from Croatia.
P.s. I already started using 50 spf 🤦🏻. It's that time of year
468579@reddit
Libya
JurmcluckTV@reddit
I am Not balkan but I'll answer for the fun of it as someone of lebanese and syrian extraction. I get mistaken the most for Greek and Jewish easily. I've never been mistaken for italian once, only greek. and one time I shaved my head and kept a mustache and was mistaken as mexican by a group of mexicans but thats about it
OswGeoM@reddit
uh people think im a tourist in my own country so idk. Probably. Like I was in a café with my brother and a waitress talked to us in english. That's just one of the many examples.
hubbabubbameqershi@reddit
He looks like an Albanian who picks olives in Greece since 2002
wrongitsleviosaa@reddit
Never my ethnicity, but I do get mistaken for a Canadian whenever I speak English.
Ethnicity though? I look like a default European/American character.
Martha_Fockers@reddit
Itanchiro@reddit
Bulgarian. And ai say it as a Bulgarian myself
Gaburra@reddit
Chechen, Tatar. Dont know why.
PhastasFlames@reddit
Indian whose ancestors emigrated to current day Romania is the correct answer
Icy_Solution518@reddit
aljbanija
oldmate9724@reddit
All the time
Been called maori before
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂.
Absolutely BLOODY NOT MAORI
Th3Dark0ccult@reddit
I get confused for Polish from time to time. Probably only because the only other slavic speakers in the workplace are Polish (ok there are a few Slovaks, too, but they also get lumped in with the Polish), so it's safe to assume I'm just another Pole.
RuleMany2900@reddit
The lower jaw in offside position leaves only one alternative.....
determine96@reddit
Idk, but if somebody know what nationality this guy is, I would be probably get mistaken for that ethnicity.
Like I have the same head shape and facial structure as him.
This can be like my 1-st cousin or something.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
He looks Serbian to me.
Sad_Job_411@reddit
Another pic of the same guy in full.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
https://i.redd.it/cvnquku8lv4h1.gif
TokidokiAi@reddit
Nearly everyone in Europe said I looked Finnish. I am not at all Finnish. I'm a typical American mix. I happen to be pale with blue eyes, but being specifically called out as Finnish repeatedly in several countries (everywhere from Italy to the Baltics) was very funny and odd. As soon as I open my mouth though . . . I definitely sound American.
bigwinboard@reddit
As a Croatian born and raised in Sweden, no one has ever been able to guess anything other than Swedish. I have blue eyes and I’m tall but not necessarily super nordic looks yet enough to be able to pass as nordic. Native Swedish speaker and fully assimilated does its job too.
Current-Tough7084@reddit
i have cousins in sweeden too and omg they look fully scandinavian despite being from the most albania's region in all of albania. Theyre tall, like imma guess they gon be in the future like 185 , theyre silky blonde and have ocean blue eyes. Sadly they dont even speak albanian no more just a little, they mainly speak english and sweedish, i guess it adds to their scandinavian dna
JRJenss@reddit
Same for me in Denmark. I usually pass as a local basically everywhere in Europe tho.
RustCohle_23@reddit
are you boring af or you kept something Croatian? 😃
bigwinboard@reddit
Boring asf I guess 🤣
ylliricon@reddit
😂😂😂😂
Llorenne@reddit
You are north Greek actually. Like very very very very VERY north Greek
Substratas@reddit (OP)
How dare you throw shade at me by thinking I’m him????!?!?!?
Stverghame@reddit
In real life, I've never been told that I look like a specific nation by foreigners.
Online I've been told once that I look like one specific nation, and I disagreed with that statement. I took it as a joke, because nothing about me suggests I could be from there specifically. (Czech Republic)
CilpKonn@reddit
I am half Bulgarian, half Cypriot, and I was raised in Greece. I have been asked whether I am from many places, most of which I am not. When I was living in London, the most common ones were Italy, Spain, and France (the latter because many Brits thought my clothing style looked "French", whatever that means). Turkish people kept asking me whether I was Turkish, a black guy asked me if I was Polish, and a Brazilian guy said I could pass off as a white Brazilian.
Things got wild when I moved to Japan for a couple of years, as Japanese people (and Asians in general) have difficulty telling white people apart, and they don't mind admitting it. There, I was asked if I was Swedish, German, American (because American is an ethnicity, I guess). One girl even asked me whether I was Japanese (she likely wanted to know if I had Japanese ancestry). The weird part is, a Greek lady told me I could pass off as Japanese when I returned to Greece, so I have heard it all..
1Gothian1@reddit
Sasha Vezenkov, is that you? Grats on the Euroleague btw.
CilpKonn@reddit
I am a woman, but nice try
1Gothian1@reddit
My bad! I only saw the ancestry.
CilpKonn@reddit
No worries. I didn't know the guy, so I looked him up, and both his parents are Bulgarian. The singer Ivi Adamou would be closer to my ancestry. There are many marriages between Bulgarian women and Greek/Cypriot men.
RustCohle_23@reddit
For the right reasons 😁
RustCohle_23@reddit
Pic or it never happened
1Gothian1@reddit
Here's pic, but in general, I was extremely wrong. He was raised in Cyprus and Greece, but he has Bulgarian parents. Nonetheless I'm happy he won the Euroleague.
bipolar1_baby325@reddit
Haha, I've done this game before . I do blend pretty well everywhere I go and I'm nothing particular but yeah. This guy, take the shirt away could definitely look like what he claims tho.
Efficient_Finance935@reddit
As an albanian, i would confuse him with something else as well, even with that shirt on.
Shot-Phone-8448@reddit
I have grey eyes, long blobde hair and pale skin. Born and raised in Croatia. Till this day every summer Croats think Im a tourist 😂 I can not get any tan only sunburns. 😁
v_for_vegetta@reddit
You stole the attention again
Roufianos255@reddit
Yes! I get confused for Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and French through to Lebanese and Egyptian. Rarely any other Balkan ethnicity to be honest, but I'm an islander.
NotoriousMOT@reddit
I’ve gotten Lebanese, Kashmiri (but that doesn’t count suuuper much because I was friends with a large group of Indians and the guy who guessed it assumed I was from the subcontinent prima facie) once each. Italian, Russian, and Iranian a few times. Turks abroad assume I’m Turkish. Only one non-Bulgarian has ever correctly guessed I’m Bulgarian without any information other than my appearance. Most never try to guess.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
https://i.redd.it/nwuukefbut4h1.gif
Due_Rise832@reddit
When i used to live in England every body took me for a Arab or Spaniard. (I'm polish btw) probably my black hair and tan. (I spend all my free time riding push bike so even shitty English sun give me nice suntan)
Realistic_Cut_9597@reddit
I was called Italian, Serbian, Montenegrian, Russian, Ukrainian, South American of some kind, American (USA), French, German. I don't think any person ever guessed my ethnicity.
Zoshi2200@reddit
As a Turkish person I have heard everything. Turkish, Greek, Kurdish, Central Asian, anything South American, Italian, wasian, Indonesian with white etc
Buk_voj_kryp_Z_bardh@reddit
I get spoken english in my country alot. Mostly mistaken for Brazilian. In us they thought i was Polish.
CmdrJemison@reddit
He looks like one of those island boys.
Sea_Gap_6569@reddit
why people in this sub are so obsessed with race/ethnicity?
Haunting-Track9268@reddit
I am Irish, but I live in Romania. Very tall, blue eyes, red/blonde hair. People presume I am German.
Lunatik_C@reddit
Let me guess, and then you reply with something humorous and then they realise there's no way you are German.
Constant-Unit5846@reddit
I'm Serbian from Republic of Srpska, and got comments that I look Russian (I have blue eyes, light brown hair, round face, typical Slavic features I guess).
SerbianMonies@reddit
Tfw no qt slavic gf from republika srpska
SerbianMonies@reddit
When I was abroad people often assumed I'm from England. Probably because of the way I dress, I got a lot of tips for my dressing style from one of my English friends
LiterallyWuzong@reddit
Im kazakh and am been taken for east asian, korean/japanese/chinese when visiting cologue and scottland Technically not incorrect, I bet it on my good clothing style and decent outfits
Just_a_spaghetti@reddit
Looks Serbian to me
Erenik19@reddit
I guess every country has its fair share of "These kind of Guys".
Classic-Exit4189@reddit
Its a false flag bait post that makes the rounds on twitter every 2 weeks.
Successful-Cut7999@reddit
and they keep changing the photo. they've put indians and all other kind. it was made by a nothern italian.
NutellaLoverForeva@reddit
I have tan skin and full curly brown hair so most people, especially in the summertime, guess that I'm spanish/latin 😎
Firm-Rip-2133@reddit
Wherever I go in the Med, people speak their language to me first. Greece, Egypt, Italy, Spain.
Magnus_TheRed14@reddit
As a dutch person i got the question where I was from some time ago (i said the city name) and the lady said her husband thought i was Albanian😂
Early-Show2886@reddit
How would you classify this face? He is a Turko-Tatar from the Dobruja region in Romania—
DeliciousEntrance920@reddit
What a handsome Serbian man!
Few_Winter_3453@reddit
I would say i am the most Turkish looking Turkish guy but i got called everything mediterannian except french probably. South to north, west to east.
kuhinjski@reddit
Substratas@reddit (OP)
That face looks super Eastern European & not Mediterranean at all.
determine96@reddit
Lukashenko ? xD
Substratas@reddit (OP)
determine96@reddit
But I mean also..
Substratas@reddit (OP)
That’s the most Yugoslavian face I’ve ever seen.
determine96@reddit
Maybe, but I think him and Lukashenko are more similar looking to each other than to the first guy from the memes.
Mainly because of the mustaches they look alike, but I'm 99% sure that the guy from the memes is Indian/Roma.
milosmisic89@reddit
c i B B a
Substratas@reddit (OP)
I look VERY Albanian but most foreigners have a very specific idea of what Albanian people look like which is why they never guess I’m from Albania.
Sweettooth_Banana@reddit
Albania, tshirt gives it away.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Only the t-shirt?
Sweettooth_Banana@reddit
Oops totally missed that 😂
Fair_Quality_3788@reddit
American. Because i am fat.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
https://i.redd.it/iapswck2pu4h1.gif
HumanMan00@reddit
Well, Turks thought i was Turkish, Greeks thought I was Greek, Maltize thought i was Spanish and Italian. 🤷♂️
Technical-Quit5913@reddit
You look like cigan
ohheyitsme17@reddit
I’m Scottish but have dark hair, dark eyes, and tan quite well in the sun. Other Scots have thought I’m of Spanish, Italian, or Greek descent. The Spanish, Italians, and Greeks immediately clock me as a Brit (always get asked if I’m English or Scottish). Currently in Crete and my husband has been asked if he’s Scottish or Irish but he’s a red head with fair skin.
archivist11@reddit
Yes. I’m Turkish and last week they confused me for an Irish lol.
sadcoconut01@reddit
Indeed. I get mistaken for Latina or Lebanese and maybe Indian. But hey I am Greek.
xesnoteleks@reddit
I sometimes get mistaken for another ethnicity in Serbia
Burrito357@reddit
I'm Bulgarian and when I speak with some1 on the phone they say I'm Arabic 💀
Cold_Inflation_839@reddit
Everyone says I look like Iniesta being Moldovan myself so here is that
azzurro99@reddit
Generally mistaken oddly for Jewish, Greek, Italian, Albanian. Sometimes even Turkish or Caucasian (from Caucasus). It’s because I'm dark haired with wavy hair, dark eyed, slightly long and hooked nose, and tan very easily.
cool_silly_goose007@reddit
I was called that I’m Russian, Australian, even Tajikistan.
Early-Show2886@reddit
Oh, it varies a lot. When I was very young, some people always used to say I was of mixed Pakistani descent—or a Latino from South America. LOL.
jackass51@reddit
I think you are Albanian
Substantial-Peach-90@reddit
As a Greek I’ve heard Spanish, Italian but even French 🤣 But I think Greeks abroad can recognize me quite easily, I personally can recognize Greeks easily abroad and I have been recognised too. I’d say most foreigners don’t really know how Greeks look(we’re also few people), that’s why they go for the popular Italian and Spanish
Sir_Gloop_glorp@reddit
Im Greek too and in the US people call me either Mexican or Italian 😔
casual_philosopher02@reddit
I say the same thing a lot, people genuinely have no clue how greeks look like
StageFrequent4868@reddit
Serbia
smurfk@reddit
China!
PikminOfTarth@reddit
It's the opposite for me. Albanians always think I'm Albanian and at first refuse my refusal. Apparently my name and looks are so typical Albanian, they think I'm lying 😂 (I'm German/Arab)
cocs-flambat@reddit
Crackovia??
oioioioioioiioo@reddit
Hardly ever any Italian suspected me to be a foreigner, I have the same features as them, they get surprised when they read my name and surname on my document
iheartloud420@reddit
Same thing for me, only thing was that i was comically taller than anyone else while in serbia im average lol
Wild_cmpt6406@reddit
When I was working at the beach in Montenegro, tourists would assume I am 1. local (understandably) 2. Russian (when I greet them with zdravstvujte) 3. american (when not working because of my English accent picked up from movies).
darkopetrovic@reddit
For 1 what’s the difference other than accent.
Wild_cmpt6406@reddit
Foreign tourists would assume I am a local. Explain it to some american from Arizona or a Polish woman. Locals wouldn't, theres obvious differences in accent and other things. Some from PG would make the mistake if I was silent.
That_One_Guy1357@reddit
And where are you from lol? You don't have a flair
Wild_cmpt6406@reddit
From Serbia of course.
Nearby_Pause_2540@reddit
Looks like hungarian cigány 🤣
Odd-Jupiter@reddit
Argentina?
Tiny-Extreme-9980@reddit
Several people thought I looked Russian, idk why, maybe faceshape or light eyes
OkCheesecake5894@reddit
Polish/British is the most common I get.
tygerrlily@reddit
I’m Greek living in the Netherlands and everyone thinks I’m Spanish. Might have to do with the accent though
Lochr0@reddit
Looks like a Gipsy
freespirit2026@reddit
Where i can buy the Tshirt ?, its fucking cool
ThrowawayFuckYourMom@reddit
Let me guess, Serbian?
Township_Roller@reddit
Hmm, looks Serbian, idk
Express-Fox-4058@reddit
It was 2000 in Ios island when i was told by the taverna employee that i look Jewish.
I was sad for the next 5-6 hours until i got wasted and forgot.
(it was the curly hair that i was letting them grow as a metalhead, the nose is normal)
kristian1317@reddit
Probably from Sweden
Sylassian@reddit
Average Dalmatian tourist trap restaurant employee 😂
dinaga9@reddit
I'm blonde so I've been Auf Wiedersehen'd a lot.
Devourfeast20@reddit
The shirt is giving me a really subtle hint but I just cannot put my finger on it.
ahmetcihankara@reddit
I've been called anything and everything. Turkish, Kurdish, Arab, Armenian, Greek, Amazigh, Spanish, Latin American.
PutridFox222@reddit
I have red hair and blue eyes, Ive been called everything from english, to german, to sweede to russian. I find it very funny when I sit at a caffe and the waiter addreses me in english.
PM_me_opossum_pics@reddit
I'm Croatian, I personally think I have the traditional "Zagorac" look, every time I travel I get mistaken for being German/Austrian or even Scandinavian. Every time I visit Austria people strike a conversation like I'm a local (especially other tourists).
Barbak86@reddit
I've gotten Catalan, Greek, Serb, Turk by the looks only
And then when I speak one of the three foreign languages I know:
Zagorje (Croatian), Macedonian, Hungarian, German!.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Where did you learn Croatian?
Barbak86@reddit
I never learned Croatian as is, especially not the Zagorije dialect which is basically a hybrid of Slovenian and Croatian.
The proficiency of Serbo-Croatian that I have, leads people to believe I am one of them, but from a region that has quite a different dialect (Zagorije or Macedonia), which explains to them the mistakes I make :D.
One_more_drink_@reddit
Every single Portuguese thinks that I am one of them, to my amusement because I can barely understand what comes out of their mouth.
Other foreigners usually go for Dutch, I kinda resemble van Basten so it's understandable.
I'm Romanian btw.
LegioXI89@reddit
Looks like gypsy
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Processing gif f5y1x8f77u4h1...
Mestintrela@reddit
I went to a tour holiday with some foreigners and for almost 10 days they we convinced I was Spanish. They heard and saw me talk, speak on the phone, walk, eat and never thought smth doesnt fit. The only thing that gave it away was when I took out a book and it had greek leters. At which point we were all shocked because I was pretty sure I had introduced myself as Greek.
In Germany I was confused for a Turk.
ThickCaterpillar9867@reddit
I get confused for Russian and German
b0sanac@reddit
Most people think I'm aussie🤷
Mostly because I've been here since I was a kid so I have the general "aussie" accent.
CalydonianBoar@reddit
not again Corfu
puzzledpanther@reddit
Been confused as Spanish or Italian many many times in the UK.
Acrobatic-Brother568@reddit
In the Netherlands people think I'm Dutch because I'm tall and white, and are really surprised when they hear I'm Bulgarian. But I've been mistaken for a Westerner even in my own country, so there's that.
Substantial-Peach-90@reddit
Interesting, Bulgarians looks can be quite diverse. They can look like Greeks, they can also look more Central European and even Ukrainian
Moldorancea@reddit
Same for Romanians. Which is not a surprise since Bulgarians and Serbs are the most close genetically to us.
Substantial-Peach-90@reddit
Yeah genetically you’re close but I visited Bucharest recently and I found people to be more central/Eastern European looking than Bulgaria to be honest(obviously). Like the vast majority looked central/Eastern European in my Greek eyes and I didn’t expect it. I think Romanians also have more Slavic influence than Bulgarians which are more South European leaning but still have this Eastern European tendencies xd
cinnamonrolllies@reddit
Everyone thinks my Bosnian coworker is Dutch since he’s white white and tall as well. It’s always funny to see the transaction.
That_One_Guy1357@reddit
I live in China and it's really interesting how it started vs how it's going. When I moved here like 10 years ago, people constantly confused me for an America because i was speaking English with my friends here a lot. But as the years went by, and especially after COVID, EVERYONE asks me if I'm Russian. It's probably because of how many Russians moved here after covid and after the war in Ukraine started, but it's still crazy in retrospect.
"你是俄罗瑟人吗?" All the time! I don't even speak Chinese much at all but I've very quickly picked that much up!
fancywipe@reddit
I’m South African everyone in Romania thought I was Romanian until I spoke, the look of disappointment was real or I’m mistaken for Russian specially when I’m in UAE
jaunmilijej@reddit
Mostly Latin American
Username135615459@reddit
I worked in few countries in the west, I mostly got Polish, Dutch and English. My dad is Croat/Hungarian, mom Macedonian, have no idea how I turned out like this 😅
heatseaking_rock@reddit
You're not romanian, by the look of your hair, you're a walking palm tree.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Oh wow, did you really think that’s me?!?! I’m highly offeded. I’m gorgeous and I’m fabulous.
https://i.redd.it/al8yowwxvt4h1.gif
heatseaking_rock@reddit
Hey, you post it, you take the heat!
Statakaka@reddit
I've gotten Turkey, Italy and Greece
Hopeful_Addition7834@reddit
Yes. It depends on my clothes and behaviour, but generally many people think I am Spanish, or sometimes that I am British, and in Italy and Germany they think I am a local.
I think the number one guess is Spanish.
I am from Hungary, though, with mainly Slavic ancestry, some Balkanic as well. But I have lived in the West and spent much time with Americans.
oblivion_mike@reddit
You’re doing too much muh guy
Moldorancea@reddit
In Israel I got confused two times for a local. I have pale olive skin that gets easily tanned and I do have Greek ancestry like many Romanians.
In Bulgaria I also got confused for a local along with my wife which is from Transylvania. A nice lady came to us asking something in Bulgarian. We told her we are not from here, she asked in English were are we from, we told Romania and then she said ”You look like Bulgarians.” It seems that she was only offering to help me and my wife take a picture together as there was no one to do it.
True-Blacksmith4235@reddit
I have strawberry blonde hair and freckles.
I have a photo when I was little girl from Vrbica (orthodox religious holiday) where kids put flower crowns on their heads and I look like a poster child for what people think Slavic look is.
saleomkd_@reddit
I get Spain a lot
RustCohle_23@reddit
Me and my wife are both with darker hair and skin and we get mistaken for Spanish/Italian all the time.
Karamazovakis@reddit
I've been told italian
NOTExETON@reddit
Hispanic, always come up speaking Spanish
EvenGarage9378@reddit
I live in the UK, I am a Romanian and Hungarian mix, but people often think I am Spanish or Italian, probably due to my dark hair and beard.
deviendrais@reddit
I’m 2m tall and have aryan blue eyes and naturally platinum blonde hair and fair skin and when I’m in Sweden people worship me and confuse me for a Nordic Deity and think I’m the reincarnation of Thor ahaha
No-Championship-4632@reddit
In the past, people in western Europe often confused me for a Russian and outside Europe they confuse me for a Russian all the time, but that is because they hear someone speaking a Slavic language and assume it's Russian. That's mostly people selling stuff, then they try to use the few Russian words they know and are surprised I prefer English.
Other than that, I've been confused for a German in both Thailand and Mexico (I definitely don't look like one), a Serb (once in Greece), a Pole (in London and I definitely don't look like a stereotypical Polish person) and weird enough, for a Greek (in US).
xiloti@reddit
I live abroad and just based on looks i don't think anyone could tell i'm not from here, the opposite, i've met other greeks abroad who didn't really believe i'm from the south. As soon as people hear my accent tho, that's where the real confusion starts, is it baltic, spanish, dutch or just a speaking disorder? Confuses people for a bit but then we can move on with getting to know each other
dave__autista@reddit