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Stands forCA (ISO code), CAN (three letter and sports), Can. (in writing)

country codeC A, or C A N in sports

Canada Abbreviation: CA, CAN or Can.?

PlacesCountriesMailingUpdated Oct 30

The standard Canada abbreviation is CA, the two letter international country code. The three letter version is CAN, which is also the code you see next to Canadian athletes in sports results. In a sentence, a footnote or a table where you need a short form with a period, write Can.

Each form has its own job. A drop down menu on a shipping site wants CA, a medal table shows CAN, and a book index might say Can. The tricky part for Americans is that CA is also the postal code for California, so context matters a lot. The sections below show where each one belongs.

Quick facts

  • Two letter code

    CA

  • Three letter code

    CAN

  • Sports code

    CAN

  • In running text

    Can., with a period

  • Car sticker

    CDN

  • Currency code

    CAD (Canadian dollar)

  • Phone code

    +1, shared with the United States

  • Not to be confused with

    CA as the postal code for California

Every Canada abbreviation and where it goes

Short forms for Canada by system
FormSystemWhere you see it
CATwo letter international codeOnline forms, shipping labels, country menus, the .ca web address ending
CANThree letter international codePassports, travel documents, data files
CANOlympic and sports codeScoreboards, medal tables, team jerseys
Can.Traditional written abbreviationFootnotes, citations, tables in print
CDNInternational vehicle signOval stickers on cars driven abroad
CADCurrency codeExchange rates, invoices, bank statements

CA and CAN are the two you will meet most. If a form asks for a country and gives you a two box field, type CA. If it gives you three boxes, type CAN. For how other nations are coded, see the country abbreviations guide.

What is the abbreviation for Canada on mail?

When you send a letter or package from the United States to Canada, do not use an abbreviation for the country line at all. Put the full word CANADA, in capitals, as the final line. Postal workers in both countries read that line first to route the item.

A birthday card going north:
MARIE TREMBLAY
45 RUE SAINT DENIS
MONTREAL QC H2X 3K8
CANADA

QC is the province code for Quebec, and H2X 3K8 is the postal code. The country line is spelled out.

Canadian postal codes always follow the pattern letter, number, letter, space, number, letter, number. That pattern alone tells a sorting machine the item is Canadian, but the country name is still required on international mail.

Province and territory codes

Canada has its own set of two letter codes for its provinces and territories, much like US state codes. They go on the city line of an address.

  • AB Alberta, BC British Columbia, MB Manitoba
  • NB New Brunswick, NL Newfoundland and Labrador, NS Nova Scotia
  • ON Ontario, PE Prince Edward Island, QC Quebec, SK Saskatchewan
  • NT Northwest Territories, NU Nunavut, YT Yukon

The Ontario code gets its own page in the Ontario abbreviation guide. None of these codes overlap with a US state code, so ON can never mean a state.

CA for Canada vs CA for California

This is the mix up that trips up the most people. In the US Postal Service system, CA is California. In the international country system, CA is Canada. The two systems were built by different groups for different jobs, and they happen to share a pair of letters.

Here is how to tell them apart:

  • If CA sits right after a city and before a five digit ZIP code, it means California.
  • If CA sits in a country field, or after a Canadian postal code, it means Canada.
  • If you are writing for readers and either one could fit, spell the name out.

On an order form: "Ship to: Vancouver, BC V6B 1A1, CA." The BC province code and the letter and number postal code show that CA here is the country, not the state.

Is there a Canada acronym?

No. Canada is a name, not a set of initials, so it has no hidden full form. People sometimes share joke spellings that turn the letters into a phrase, but those were made up after the fact. The name is generally traced to kanata, a word from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian language that meant a village or settlement. Early European visitors heard it used for the area and applied it to the whole region.

So when someone searches for a Canada acronym, the answer they usually need is one of the codes above, most often CA or CAN. For more on the difference between a code, an initialism and an acronym, read acronym vs abbreviation.

Using the abbreviation for Canada in sentences

  • "Select CA from the country list to see Canadian shipping rates."
  • "CAN finished second in the relay, just behind the host team."
  • "Prices on this page are shown in CAD."
  • "Census figures for Can. and Mex. appear in Table 4."
  • "Her passport lists CAN as the issuing country."

In regular paragraphs, write Canada in full. Short forms belong in fields, tables, labels and tight headlines.

Questions people ask

What is the abbreviation for Canada in two letters?

It is CA. That is the two letter international country code used on forms, in country menus and in the .ca web address ending.

Is the Canada abbreviation CA or CAN?

Both are correct. CA is the two letter code and CAN is the three letter code. Sports results and travel documents usually use CAN, while forms and address systems usually use CA.

Why does CDN appear on some cars from Canada?

CDN is the international vehicle sign for Canada, used on oval stickers when a car is driven in another country. It is an older system separate from the CA and CAN codes.

Should I write Canada or CA on an envelope?

Spell out CANADA in capitals as the bottom line. Use the province code, such as ON or BC, on the city line above it.

Does CA always mean Canada?

No. In US addresses CA means California. Look for a ZIP code or a Canadian postal code nearby to tell which one is meant.