国 (guó) — country, nation, state; (bound form) national (used in compound words like 国旗 'national flag')
Definition
国 (guó) is a bound root meaning 'country / national' — almost always paired with another character, e.g. 中国. 国家 is the standalone, everyday word for a country.
noun
countrynationstate
bound form
national (used in compound words like 国旗 'national flag')
Measure word · 个
Examples
- 。Zhōng guó shì yí gè hěn dà de guó jiā.China is a very big country.
- ？Nǐ xǐ huan nǎ ge guó jiā?Which country do you like?
- 。Zhè ge guó jiā yǒu hěn duō rén.This country has many people.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 國; 国 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéiclosure
Sound part声符shēngfú
或
或huò國guó
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 國 uses 囗 to show closure and 或 to give the sound.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 1 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.