国
| Property |
Value |
| Meaning |
country |
| Strokes |
8 |
| JLPT Level |
N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) |
コク |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) |
くに |
| Radical |
囗 (くにがまえ - enclosure) [U+56D7] |
Stroke Order
The kanji 国 follows the standard rule for "enclosure" radicals: draw the outer frame, fill the inside, then close the bottom.
- Stroke 1: The left vertical line (top to bottom).
- Stroke 2: The top horizontal and right vertical corner (one continuous motion).
- Stroke 3: The horizontal line inside (left to right).
- Stroke 4: The vertical line inside (top to bottom).
- Stroke 5: The horizontal line inside (left to right).
- Stroke 6: The short diagonal tick inside (top-right to bottom-left).
- Stroke 7: The bottom horizontal line of the enclosure (left to right).
- Stroke 8: The final horizontal line closing the bottom (left to right).
Radical Analysis
The radical is 囗 (くにがまえ), which represents an enclosure or boundary. Inside, we find the character 玉 (たま - jewel/jade). Historically, this implies that a "country" is a territory enclosed by borders containing precious things (like jade or the people).
Mnemonic
Imagine a jewel (玉) locked inside a fortress wall (囗). The king keeps his most precious treasure safe within the borders of his country (国).
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
コク (Koku)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 外国 |
がいこく |
gaikoku |
foreign country |
| 中国 |
ちゅうごく |
chuugoku |
China |
| 国家 |
こっか |
kokka |
nation / state |
| 国際 |
こくさい |
kokusai |
international |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
くに (Kuni)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 国 |
くに |
kuni |
country / hometown |
| 国々 |
くにぐに |
kuniguni |
countries / various regions |
JLPT N5 Words Using 国
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
JLPT |
| 外国人 |
がいこくじん |
gaikokujin |
foreigner |
N5 |
| 外国語 |
がいこくご |
gaikokugo |
foreign language |
N5 |
| 国 |
くに |
kuni |
country |
N5 |
| 中国 |
ちゅうごく |
chuugoku |
China |
N5 |
| 韓国 |
かんこく |
kankoku |
South Korea |
N5 |
| アメリカ |
あめりか |
amerika |
America |
N5 |
| 国際 |
こくさい |
kokusai |
international |
N4 |
| 国内 |
こくない |
kokunai |
domestic |
N4 |
| 国王 |
こくおう |
kokuou |
king |
N3 |
| 国会 |
こっかい |
kokkai |
National Diet (Parliament) |
N3 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| どの国から来ましたか。 |
どのくにからきましたか。 |
Dono kuni kara kimashita ka? |
Which country are you from? |
| 日本は美しい国です。 |
にほんはうつくしいくにです。 |
Nihon wa utsukushii kuni desu. |
Japan is a beautiful country. |
| 私は外国へ行きたいです。 |
わたしはがいこくへいきたいです。 |
Watashi wa gaikoku e ikitai desu. |
I want to go to a foreign country. |
| 中国語を勉強しています。 |
ちゅうごくごをべんきょうしています。 |
Chuugokugo o benkyou shite imasu. |
I am studying Chinese. |
| 国際会議に出席します。 |
こくさいかいぎにしゅっせきします。 |
Kokusai kaigi ni shusseki shimasu. |
I will attend an international conference. |
| 彼は国に帰りました。 |
かれはくににかえりました。 |
Kare wa kuni ni kaerimashita. |
He returned to his home country. |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji |
Reading |
Meaning |
How to distinguish |
| 国 |
コク / くに |
Country |
Contains 玉 (jewel) inside. |
| 困 |
コン |
Trouble |
Contains 木 (tree) inside; like a tree trapped in a box. |
| 回 |
カイ |
Times / Turn |
Contains 口 (mouth) inside; represents rotation. |
Usage Frequency Note
国 is one of the most frequently used kanji in the Japanese language. It appears daily in news, casual conversation, and formal writing. Because it is a fundamental building block for geographical and political terms, mastery of this kanji is essential for all N5 learners.