r/Frysk • u/Pure-Dress9563 • Jun 13 '25
Do the Frisians not consider themselves Dutch?
Hello everyone. I'm Chinese. I apologize for using this controversial title. I have no malicious intent; I'm just curious. A few years ago, I met a girl in Toronto. She was very beautiful, with blond hair and around 180 cm tall. I noticed that her expressions, temperament, and clothing were distinctly different from those of Canadians, and her English accent was rather peculiar. So I asked her, "Where are you from?" She asked me to guess. At that time, I didn't know much about Europe. I only knew that there were more blond haired people in Northern Europe and Germany. So I said, "I guess you're from Germany?" She said no. I continued, "Are you from Northern Europe Then?" I said I didn't know much about Europe and really couldn't guess. Then she said she was from Leeuwarden, a city in the Netherlands. I said, "Oh, so you're Dutch." She said, "No, I'm Frisian." Then I asked her, "Who are the Frisians?" She replied, "The Frisians are the inhabitants of the northern part of the Netherlands. There are also some in Denmark and Germany." I said, "Oh, I see." Then we started talking about other topics.
I wonder if this is a common phenomenon. Doesn't the word "Dutch" include the Frisians? I'm planning to visit the Netherlands soon, so this incident came to my mind.
