国 (guó) - country & nation

国Tone 2

guó ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 囗

枫惠

国 · guó

country;

nation;

state;

kingdom;

also used in words for national, patriotic, or related to the state.

countrynationstate

Usage highlights

Chinanation/statepatriotismnational flaginternationaldomestic

Synonyms

  • 邦— state; nation
  • 国家— country; nation

Antonyms

  • 家— family; home (as opposed to state)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • China is our country (中国).
  • I love my nation (爱国).
  • This is the national flag (国旗).
  • He studies international relations (国际关系).

Collocations

  • China(中国)
  • nation/state(国家)
  • patriotism(爱国)
  • national flag(国旗)
  • international(国际)
  • domestic(国内)

Idioms

  • Serve the country with loyalty(精忠报国)
  • The nation is the people's foundation(国以民为本)
  • A country perishes, families are destroyed(国破家亡)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically, 国 referred to a city-state or feudal state; now it denotes a sovereign nation.
  • Central to Chinese political philosophy, representing the collective identity and territory.
  • The character's enclosure structure symbolizes bounded territory and sovereignty.

FAQ