Chinese word

国

Pronunciation

Pinyinguó

Meaning

  • nouncountry

Example

你来自哪个国？nǐ lái zì nǎ ge guó

Which country are you from?

Illustration for 国 (country)

More examples

我不是中国人。wǒ bú shì zhōng guó rén

I am not Chinese.

Core concept

A political home made of a defined territory, its people, and a government that speaks and acts as one realm.

Common phrases

  • 中国人zhōng guó rén

    Chinese person

  • 美国人měi guó rén

    American

  • 哪个国nǎ ge guó

    which country

Similar words

国家guó jiā: A formal term for a country as a political state with its own government.
国民guó mín: The people who belong to a country and live in its society.

Definition in Chinese

指有固定领土、常设政权和对外主权的政治实体。zhǐ yǒu gù dìng líng tǔ cháng shè zhèng quán hé duì wài zhǔ quán de zhèng zhì shí tǐ

Word origin

The traditional form 國 (guó, "country") has an enclosing frame around an inner sign, linking the written form with the idea of a bounded realm.

Usage tips

  • The character 国 (guó, "country") often appears in compounds, as in 中国 (Zhōngguó, "China") and 外国 (wàiguó, "foreign country"), so spotting it helps identify country-related words.

Other meanings

  • homelandnoun
  • former homelandnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word