diff --git a/src/nominatim_api/search/db_search_builder.py b/src/nominatim_api/search/db_search_builder.py
index f90c6d7f..591d32ca 100644
--- a/src/nominatim_api/search/db_search_builder.py
+++ b/src/nominatim_api/search/db_search_builder.py
@@ -374,7 +374,7 @@ class SearchBuilder:
             tokens = self.get_country_tokens(assignment.country)
             if not tokens:
                 return None
-            sdata.set_strings('countries', tokens)
+            sdata.set_countries(tokens)
             sdata.penalty += self.query.get_in_word_penalty(assignment.country)
         elif self.details.countries:
             sdata.countries = dbf.WeightedStrings(self.details.countries,
diff --git a/src/nominatim_api/search/db_search_fields.py b/src/nominatim_api/search/db_search_fields.py
index 669e2a5e..70b8ad7b 100644
--- a/src/nominatim_api/search/db_search_fields.py
+++ b/src/nominatim_api/search/db_search_fields.py
@@ -244,6 +244,21 @@ class SearchData:
 
             setattr(self, field, wstrs)
 
+    def set_countries(self, tokens: List[Token]) -> None:
+        """ Set the WeightedStrings properties for countries. Multiple
+            entries for the same country are deduplicated and the minimum
+            penalty is used. Adapts the global penalty, so that the
+            minimum penalty is 0.
+        """
+        if tokens:
+            min_penalty = min(t.penalty for t in tokens)
+            self.penalty += min_penalty
+            countries: dict[str, float] = {}
+            for t in tokens:
+                cc = t.get_country()
+                countries[cc] = min(t.penalty - min_penalty, countries.get(cc, 10000))
+            self.countries = WeightedStrings(list(countries.keys()), list(countries.values()))
+
     def set_qualifiers(self, tokens: List[Token]) -> None:
         """ Set the qulaifier field from the given tokens.
         """
diff --git a/src/nominatim_api/search/icu_tokenizer.py b/src/nominatim_api/search/icu_tokenizer.py
index 4ab85fd3..50c133a0 100644
--- a/src/nominatim_api/search/icu_tokenizer.py
+++ b/src/nominatim_api/search/icu_tokenizer.py
@@ -59,12 +59,16 @@ class ICUToken(qmod.Token):
         assert self.info
         return self.info.get('class', ''), self.info.get('type', '')
 
-    def rematch(self, norm: str) -> None:
+    def get_country(self) -> str:
+        assert self.info
+        return cast(str, self.info.get('cc', ''))
+
+    def match_penalty(self, norm: str) -> float:
         """ Check how well the token matches the given normalized string
             and add a penalty, if necessary.
         """
         if not self.lookup_word:
-            return
+            return 0.0
 
         seq = difflib.SequenceMatcher(a=self.lookup_word, b=norm)
         distance = 0
@@ -75,7 +79,7 @@ class ICUToken(qmod.Token):
                 distance += max((ato-afrom), (bto-bfrom))
             elif tag != 'equal':
                 distance += abs((ato-afrom) - (bto-bfrom))
-        self.penalty += (distance/len(self.lookup_word))
+        return (distance/len(self.lookup_word))
 
     @staticmethod
     def from_db_row(row: SaRow) -> 'ICUToken':
@@ -330,9 +334,10 @@ class ICUQueryAnalyzer(AbstractQueryAnalyzer):
             norm = ''.join(f"{n.term_normalized}{'' if n.btype == qmod.BREAK_TOKEN else ' '}"
                            for n in query.nodes[start + 1:end + 1]).strip()
             for ttype, tokens in tlist.items():
-                if ttype != qmod.TOKEN_COUNTRY:
-                    for token in tokens:
-                        cast(ICUToken, token).rematch(norm)
+                for token in tokens:
+                    itok = cast(ICUToken, token)
+                    itok.penalty += itok.match_penalty(norm) * \
+                        (1 if ttype in (qmod.TOKEN_WORD, qmod.TOKEN_PARTIAL) else 2)
 
     def compute_break_penalties(self, query: qmod.QueryStruct) -> None:
         """ Set the break penalties for the nodes in the query.
diff --git a/src/nominatim_api/search/query.py b/src/nominatim_api/search/query.py
index f64dd1db..c08e6499 100644
--- a/src/nominatim_api/search/query.py
+++ b/src/nominatim_api/search/query.py
@@ -127,6 +127,12 @@ class Token(ABC):
             category objects.
         """
 
+    @abstractmethod
+    def get_country(self) -> str:
+        """ Return the country code this tojen is associated with
+            (currently for country tokens only).
+        """
+
 
 @dataclasses.dataclass
 class TokenRange:
diff --git a/src/nominatim_db/tokenizer/icu_tokenizer.py b/src/nominatim_db/tokenizer/icu_tokenizer.py
index b7fa8682..5d90bb27 100644
--- a/src/nominatim_db/tokenizer/icu_tokenizer.py
+++ b/src/nominatim_db/tokenizer/icu_tokenizer.py
@@ -475,20 +475,23 @@ class ICUNameAnalyzer(AbstractAnalyzer):
         assert self.conn is not None
         word_tokens = set()
         for name in names:
-            norm_name = self._search_normalized(name.name)
-            if norm_name:
-                word_tokens.add(norm_name)
+            norm_name = self._normalized(name.name)
+            token_name = self._search_normalized(name.name)
+            if norm_name and token_name:
+                word_tokens.add((token_name, norm_name))
 
         with self.conn.cursor() as cur:
             # Get existing names
-            cur.execute("""SELECT word_token, coalesce(info ? 'internal', false) as is_internal
+            cur.execute("""SELECT word_token,
+                                  word as lookup,
+                                  coalesce(info ? 'internal', false) as is_internal
                              FROM word
-                             WHERE type = 'C' and word = %s""",
+                             WHERE type = 'C' and info->>'cc' = %s""",
                         (country_code, ))
             # internal/external names
-            existing_tokens: Dict[bool, Set[str]] = {True: set(), False: set()}
+            existing_tokens: Dict[bool, Set[Tuple[str, str]]] = {True: set(), False: set()}
             for word in cur:
-                existing_tokens[word[1]].add(word[0])
+                existing_tokens[word[2]].add((word[0], word[1]))
 
             # Delete names that no longer exist.
             gone_tokens = existing_tokens[internal] - word_tokens
@@ -496,10 +499,10 @@ class ICUNameAnalyzer(AbstractAnalyzer):
                 gone_tokens.update(existing_tokens[False] & word_tokens)
             if gone_tokens:
                 cur.execute("""DELETE FROM word
-                               USING unnest(%s::text[]) as token
-                               WHERE type = 'C' and word = %s
-                                     and word_token = token""",
-                            (list(gone_tokens), country_code))
+                               USING jsonb_array_elements(%s) as data
+                               WHERE type = 'C' and info->>'cc' = %s
+                                     and word_token = data->>0 and word = data->>1""",
+                            (Jsonb(list(gone_tokens)), country_code))
 
             # Only add those names that are not yet in the list.
             new_tokens = word_tokens - existing_tokens[True]
@@ -508,15 +511,17 @@ class ICUNameAnalyzer(AbstractAnalyzer):
             if new_tokens:
                 if internal:
                     sql = """INSERT INTO word (word_token, type, word, info)
-                               (SELECT token, 'C', %s, '{"internal": "yes"}'
-                                  FROM unnest(%s::text[]) as token)
+                               (SELECT data->>0, 'C', data->>1,
+                                       jsonb_build_object('internal', 'yes', 'cc', %s::text)
+                                  FROM jsonb_array_elements(%s) as data)
                            """
                 else:
-                    sql = """INSERT INTO word (word_token, type, word)
-                                   (SELECT token, 'C', %s
-                                    FROM unnest(%s::text[]) as token)
+                    sql = """INSERT INTO word (word_token, type, word, info)
+                                   (SELECT data->>0, 'C', data->>1,
+                                           jsonb_build_object('cc', %s::text)
+                                    FROM  jsonb_array_elements(%s) as data)
                           """
-                cur.execute(sql, (country_code, list(new_tokens)))
+                cur.execute(sql, (country_code, Jsonb(list(new_tokens))))
 
     def process_place(self, place: PlaceInfo) -> Mapping[str, Any]:
         """ Determine tokenizer information about the given place.
diff --git a/test/python/mock_icu_word_table.py b/test/python/mock_icu_word_table.py
index b26025a0..083246cb 100644
--- a/test/python/mock_icu_word_table.py
+++ b/test/python/mock_icu_word_table.py
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ of the table.
 """
 from nominatim_db.db.connection import execute_scalar
 
+from psycopg.types.json import Jsonb
+
 
 class MockIcuWordTable:
     """ A word table for testing using legacy word table structure.
@@ -42,11 +44,11 @@ class MockIcuWordTable:
                         """, (word_token, word, cls, typ, oper))
         self.conn.commit()
 
-    def add_country(self, country_code, word_token):
+    def add_country(self, country_code, word_token, lookup):
         with self.conn.cursor() as cur:
-            cur.execute("""INSERT INTO word (word_token, type, word)
-                           VALUES(%s, 'C', %s)""",
-                        (word_token, country_code))
+            cur.execute("""INSERT INTO word (word_token, type, word, info)
+                           VALUES(%s, 'C', %s, %s)""",
+                        (word_token, lookup, Jsonb({'cc': country_code})))
         self.conn.commit()
 
     def add_postcode(self, word_token, postcode):
@@ -93,7 +95,7 @@ class MockIcuWordTable:
 
     def get_country(self):
         with self.conn.cursor() as cur:
-            cur.execute("SELECT word, word_token FROM word WHERE type = 'C'")
+            cur.execute("SELECT info->>'cc', word_token, word FROM word WHERE type = 'C'")
             result = set((tuple(row) for row in cur))
             assert len(result) == cur.rowcount, "Word table has duplicates."
             return result
diff --git a/test/python/tokenizer/test_icu.py b/test/python/tokenizer/test_icu.py
index 6d2e9ce7..39796822 100644
--- a/test/python/tokenizer/test_icu.py
+++ b/test/python/tokenizer/test_icu.py
@@ -343,16 +343,18 @@ def test_add_country_names_new(analyzer, word_table):
     with analyzer() as anl:
         anl.add_country_names('es', {'name': 'Espagña', 'name:en': 'Spain'})
 
-    assert word_table.get_country() == {('es', 'ESPAGÑA'), ('es', 'SPAIN')}
+    assert word_table.get_country() == {('es', 'ESPAGÑA', 'Espagña'),
+                                        ('es', 'SPAIN', 'Spain')}
 
 
 def test_add_country_names_extend(analyzer, word_table):
-    word_table.add_country('ch', 'SCHWEIZ')
+    word_table.add_country('ch', 'SCHWEIZ', 'Schweiz')
 
     with analyzer() as anl:
         anl.add_country_names('ch', {'name': 'Schweiz', 'name:fr': 'Suisse'})
 
-    assert word_table.get_country() == {('ch', 'SCHWEIZ'), ('ch', 'SUISSE')}
+    assert word_table.get_country() == {('ch', 'SCHWEIZ', 'Schweiz'),
+                                        ('ch', 'SUISSE', 'Suisse')}
 
 
 class TestPlaceNames: