Japanese symbol for “country”
国
くに
Romaji: kuni
country; state
In Japanese, country is 国, read くに (kuni).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n country; state
- n region
- n national government; central government
- n home (i.e. hometown, home country)
- n province (of Japan)
- n land; earth
Written forms: 国、邦、國、故郷. Readings: くに.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “country”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 国土 | こくど kokudo | country; territory; domain |
| 国家 | こっか kokka | state; country; nation |
| 田園 | でんえん den'en | the country; countryside; rural districts |
| 地方 | ちほう chihou | the country; countryside; the provinces |
| 田舎 | でんしゃ densha | country; country home |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 全国 | ぜんこく zenkoku | the whole country |
| 国内 | こくない kokunai | within the country; inside the county; domestic |
| 国民 | こくみん kokumin | people (of a country); nation; citizen |
| 国家 | こっか kokka | state; country; nation |
| 国際 | こくさい kokusai | international |
| 外国 | がいこく gaikoku | foreign country |
See also: Chinese symbol for “country”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.