国 — JLPT N5 Kanji

国 (koku/kuni): country. JLPT N5 kanji.

Character Info

Kanji Strokes JLPT Radical Radical Meaning
8 N5 enclosure

Readings

Type Reading Romaji Notes
On (音) コク koku Chinese-origin (音読み)
Kun (訓) くに kuni country; nation; homeland

Meanings

  1. country
  2. nation
  3. land

Vocabulary

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
くに kuni country / nation N5
外国 がいこく gaikoku foreign country N5
国語 こくご kokugo national language / Japanese N5
全国 ぜんこく zenkoku whole country N4
外国人 がいこくじん gaikokujin foreigner N5

Stroke Order

Outer: 囗 (enclosure, 3 strokes). Inner: 玉 (jewel/king, 5 strokes).

Mnemonic

A jewel (玉) protected inside a border (囗) — a nation guards its treasure.

Common Mistakes

国 (country) vs 囲 (surround) — 囲 has a different inner component (井); 国 has 玉.