country, nation

About this kanji

The kanji 「国」 means "country" or "nation." It can be used as both a noun and in compounds. When reading it in compounds, the on'yomi reading コク is often used. For example, 外国 (がいこく) means "foreign country," so it's useful when talking about places outside your own home country. Another common compound is 国語 (こくご), which refers to the "national language" of a country, like Japanese. Additionally, 国家 (こっか) means "nation" and can be used in political contexts. Remember, when using the word alone, you would read it as くに, which refers simply to "country" in general.

Built from

Example sentences

• 彼は日本の国籍です。

  He has Japanese nationality.

Meanings across languages

English

country, nation

Tiếng Việt

quốc gia, đất nước

日本語

国, 国土

한국어

나라

中文

国家

id

negara

th

ประเทศ

es

país

fr

pays

de

Land

pt

país

Common compounds

• 外国がいこくforeign country
• 国語こくごnational language
• 国家こっかnation, state

Words using this kanji

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