SNPtheCat said:
Huh, today I learnt 美国 == 米国 == America
Also isn't 语 language，not word (that would be 字)?

I think it's a homonym, like a word that can mean multiple things (like "can" or "like" in English). "Word" to "language" doesn't seem that big of a leap to me.

I never learnt kanji specifically but I recognize 語 as "language" from the cover of the Japanese textbook I had. I think 日本語 is the longest phrase in kanji I can read. (Also I think 本 can be interpreted as "book" as well as "tree".)