国 — how to write the kanji for “country”

国 (“country”) is a JLPT N5 kanji taught in second grade in Japan. In newspapers it is one of the hundred most used kanji (3rd). Its Japanese stroke 4, a vertical, is the 5th stroke in the Chinese order. On its own it is the word kuni, “country; state”. Its common words take the reading koku: 両国 (“both countries”), 中国 (“China”), 全国 (“the whole country”) and 国会 (“National Diet”). Chinese reads it guó, “country”, at HSK 1.

Strokes: 8
JLPT: N5
Radical: 囗 (“enclosure”)
On: コク
Kun: くに

Stroke by stroke

Its parts sit one inside another: 囗 (“enclosure”, its radical), strokes 1–2 and 8; 玉 (“jewel”), strokes 3–7, with their strokes interleaved.

Vertical ㇑top leftdownwards
Horizontal-turn ㇕top leftrightwards → downwards
Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
Vertical ㇑topdownwards
Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
Horizontal ㇐bottom leftrightwards
Dot ㇔centerdown and right
Horizontal ㇐bottom leftrightwards

Two stroke orders

Japan and China order its strokes differently: 2 strokes sit in another place. Japanese 4 = Chinese 5; Japanese 5 = Chinese 4.

Japanese · KanjiVG · 8 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 8 strokes

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Readings

On (Chinese-derived): コク koku
Kun (native): くに kuni
Meanings: country
Read koku: 両国中国全国国会国内国家
School year: second grade
Newspaper rank: 3rd of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
Korean hanja: 국 guk
Common words: 157 in JMdict

On and kun, explained

Words with 国

Word	Reading	Meaning
両国	りょうこく ryoukoku	both countries; Ryōgoku (area of Tokyo)
中国	ちゅうごく chuugoku	China; Chūgoku region…
全国	ぜんこく zenkoku	the whole country
国会	こっかい kokkai	National Diet; legislative assembly of Japan (1947-)
国内	こくない kokunai	within the country; inside the county
国家	こっか kokka	state; country
国民	こくみん kokumin	people; nation
国連	こくれん kokuren	United Nations; UN
国際	こくさい kokusai	international
外国	がいこく gaikoku	foreign country

Most common first (JMdict).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.

Keep going

Same parts:

JLPT N5, in list order: