國 meaning and stroke order
Country, nation, state; national
How to write 國, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Meaning of 國
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- country; nation; state
- (bound form) national
How 國 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Treasure 或 within a country's borders 囗.
Radical: 囗 (enclosure), shared by 39 characters on this site.
How to remember 國
Picture a border wall 囗 drawn all the way around 或, which the hint describes as treasure kept inside. A country 國 (guó) is the land and wealth protected inside its borders.
國 (guó) is the traditional form, used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Mainland China writes it as 国. It rarely stands alone and usually appears in words like 國家 (guójiā, country), 外國 (wàiguó, foreign country) and 國際 (guójì, international). Example: 我明年要出國。(Wǒ míngnián yào chūguó.) I am going abroad next year.
Common mistake: Learners often leave the enclosure 囗 off and write only 或 (huò, or), which is a different character meaning 'or'. Also keep the second tone in guó, since it is easy to say it flat as guō.
Common words with 國
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 國家 | guójiā | country; nation; state | HSK 1 |
| 中國 | Zhōngguó | China | HSK 1 |
| 外國 | wàiguó | foreign country | HSK 1 |
| 國外 | guó wài | abroad; external (affairs) | HSK 1 |
| 國際 | guójì | international | HSK 2 |
| 全國 | quánguó | whole nation; nationwide | HSK 2 |
| 出國 | chūguó | to go abroad; to leave the country | HSK 2 |
| 回國 | huí guó | to return to one's home country | HSK 2 |
| 國內 | guó nèi | domestic; internal (to a country) | HSK 3 |
| 聯合國 | Liánhéguó | United Nations | HSK 3 |
| 國慶 | guóqìng | National Day | HSK 3 |
| 愛國 | àiguó | to love one's country; patriotic | HSK 4 |
| 國民 | guómín | nationals; citizens | HSK 5 |
| 國籍 | guójí | nationality | HSK 5 |
Questions about 國
How many strokes are in 國?
國 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 國 mean?
國 (guó) means country, nation, state; national. A common word with it is 国家 (guójiā), meaning "country; nation; state".
How do you pronounce 國?
國 is pronounced guó, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 國?
The radical of 國 is 囗, which carries the idea of "enclosure". Dictionaries list 國 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 國?
國 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 国, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 國 and 国?
They are the same character with the same meaning and pronunciation. 國 is the traditional form with 或 inside, and 国 is the simplified form with 玉 (yù, jade) inside.
What is the difference between 國外 and 外國?
外國 (wàiguó) means a foreign country, as in 外國人 (foreigner). 國外 (guówài) means abroad or outside the country as a location, as in 在國外工作 (to work abroad).