Today’s second #kanji is #国, which is made of #くにがまえ（囗） and 玉. 玉 is a jewel or a precious stone, so “a jewel protected by 囗 = a country” makes some sense. Having said that, 国’s original form was 國, so jewels don’t have much to do with it and that’s why 玉 does not serve as a pronunciation marker.
Meaning: a country, a person’s home
国家（コッカ）: a state, a nation, a country
国歌（コッカ）: a national anthem
国語（コクゴ）: Japanese (as a school subject) <== the national language
国際（コクサイ）: international, world, global, universal
国土（コクド）: a territory, a realm, a domain
外国（ガイコク）: a foreign country
国（くに）: a country, a land; a province; a region; a person’s hometown
国（くに）に帰（かえ）る: to go back to one’s old home (country)
If you liked this article, please share it with your friends using the social media buttons below.
