国
国 — Country
country
On’yomiコク (koku)
Kun’yomiくに (kuni)
Stroke order (8 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 国
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 外国 | がいこく gaikoku | foreign country |
| 外国人 | がいこくじん gaikokujin | foreigner; foreign citizen; foreign national |
| 韓国 | かんこく kankoku | South Korea; Republic of Korea; Korean Empire (1897-1910) |
| 国家 | こっか kokka | state; country; nation |
| 国会 | こっかい kokkai | National Diet; legislative assembly of Japan (1947-); Imperial Diet |
| 国際 | こくさい kokusai | international; diplomatic intercourse |
Study notes
国 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 8 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #3 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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