くに
kuni
JLPT N58 strokesKanjiLevel 1 - JLPT N5

Quick answer

国 is the kanji for "Country". It is a JLPT N5 kanji. The main reading is くに (kuni). Stroke-order practice is available below.

Meaning

Country

Also : Nation · State · Homeland

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Readings

kunくに/ kunionこく/ koku

kun = Japanese reading · on = Chinese reading

Practice writing

Trace the kanji stroke by stroke with a visual guide.

Stroke Order

8 strokes

Radicals

Memory Aid

Meaning ·

A square border with people inside — a nation is a bounded territory with people living in it, literally their enclosed domain.

Reading ·

こく (koku) sounds like "cock" — the rooster crows for the whole nation at dawn.

Example Sentences

どの国から来ましたか?

どのくにからきましたか?

Which country did you come from?

外国語を勉強するのが好きです。

がいこくごをべんきょうするのがすきです。

I like studying foreign languages.

Vocabulary using 国

Grammar to study at this level

Last updated Jun 18, 2026

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