国 — country / nation

Grade 2こく, くに

Radical ⼞ · radical 31 The building block this kanji is filed under

国 (readings: こく, くに; Japanese kanji) means “country / nation”. It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 外国 (foreign country).

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What does 国 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	国
Meaning	country / nation
Readings	こく, くに
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	外国 (foreign country)

How to read 国

国 is read こく or くに depending on the word.

Words with 国

外国がいこくnước ngoài
全国ぜんこくcả nước
国民こくみんquốc dân
国際こくさいquốc tế
国家こっかquốc gia
国技こくぎquốc kỹ/môn quốc võ
中国ちゅうごくTrung Quốc
外国人がいこくじんngười nước ngoài
日本全国にほんぜんこくtoàn nước Nhật
国際会議こくさいかいぎhội nghị quốc tế

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Updated: 2026-08-09