Meaning of 国
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- country; nation; state
- (bound form) national
- surname Guo
How to use 国
国 (guó) appears mostly in compounds like 国家 (guójiā) country and 中国 (Zhōngguó) China rather than standing alone. It also adds the meaning "national" to other words, as in 国际 (guójì) international. Example: 我想去外国旅行。(Wǒ xiǎng qù wàiguó lǚxíng.) I want to travel to a foreign country.
国 is a jade 玉 (yù) inside a border 囗. Picture a country as a precious treasure protected by walls on every side.
Common mistake: Learners often write 王 (wáng) inside the box and forget the small dot that makes it 玉 (yù). Without the dot, the character is wrong.
国 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
国 guó · country · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 国.
| 国家 | guójiā | country; nation; state |
| 中国 | Zhōngguó | China |
| 外国 | wàiguó | foreign country |
| 国外 | guó wài | abroad; external (affairs) |
| 国际 | guójì | international |
| 全国 | quánguó | whole nation; nationwide |
| 出国 | chūguó | to go abroad; to leave the country |
| 回国 | huí guó | to return to one's home country |
| 国内 | guó nèi | domestic; internal (to a country) |
| 联合国 | Liánhéguó | United Nations |
| 国庆 | guóqìng | National Day |
| 爱国 | àiguó | to love one's country; patriotic |
Questions about 国
What does 国 mean?
国 (guó) means "country; nation; state; (bound form) national" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 国?
国 is made of 1 character: 国 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 国 an HSK word?
Yes. 国 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 国 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 国 is written 國.
What is the difference between 外国 and 国外?
外国 (wàiguó) means a foreign country, the place itself, as in 外国人 (wàiguórén) foreigner. 国外 (guó wài) means abroad or outside the country, as in 在国外工作 (zài guó wài gōngzuò) to work abroad.
Can I say 国 by itself to mean country?
In everyday speech people usually say 国家 (guójiā) for country. 国 alone mostly appears in set phrases or written styles, and as a short form in names like 美国 (Měiguó) the United States.