国

guó

Pinyin
guó
Pinyin (Plain)
guo
Tone
2
Strokes
8
Radical
囗
Readings
guóguoTone: 2surname GuoOrder: 0Primary
Stroke Order Code
Speed
Stroke Order Data
["M 282 720 Q 270 741 233 755 Q 221 762 208 757 Q 198 751 205 736 Q 229 648 231 611 Q 230 608 231 602 Q 238 308 189 137 Q 170 68 211 19 Q 223 3 236 17 Q 246 30 250 44 L 255 86 Q 259 123 261 178 Q 280 626 285 676 C 287 706 288 714 282 720 Z", "M 751 76 Q 772 55 799 4 Q 809 -20 825 -18 Q 838 -17 847 5 Q 877 62 852 247 Q 822 661 841 685 Q 844 692 849 697 Q 861 712 860 720 Q 859 733 825 756 Q 767 795 724 781 Q 703 777 668 770 Q 517 754 335 723 Q 307 720 282 720 C 252 719 256 670 285 676 Q 297 676 314 682 Q 327 686 450 706 Q 601 730 718 737 Q 743 738 749 726 Q 774 701 782 401 Q 789 220 792 177 Q 796 117 780 98 C 771 69 735 96 751 76 Z", "M 514 554 Q 664 588 667 590 Q 674 597 671 605 Q 664 615 638 623 Q 614 627 516 598 Q 438 580 376 574 Q 343 568 367 553 Q 400 532 459 544 Q 463 545 470 545 L 514 554 Z", "M 530 382 Q 545 386 562 388 Q 602 392 634 396 Q 644 395 653 407 Q 654 417 632 428 Q 607 447 531 427 L 483 416 Q 450 410 422 406 Q 394 403 364 399 Q 337 396 358 379 Q 392 355 416 362 Q 447 369 483 374 L 530 382 Z", "M 525 254 Q 526 323 530 382 L 531 427 Q 534 533 535 534 Q 523 546 514 554 C 492 574 459 573 470 545 Q 482 527 483 416 L 483 374 Q 483 323 483 246 C 483 216 525 224 525 254 Z", "M 483 246 Q 407 233 319 218 Q 300 215 315 199 Q 328 186 346 182 Q 367 178 382 182 Q 499 215 672 217 Q 687 216 701 217 Q 720 217 724 226 Q 728 238 713 250 Q 656 290 590 268 Q 562 262 525 254 L 483 246 Z", "M 672 345 Q 697 324 722 299 Q 732 289 745 290 Q 754 290 757 301 Q 761 311 754 335 Q 750 351 724 364 Q 667 388 652 383 Q 648 379 649 369 Q 652 362 672 345 Z", "M 250 44 Q 256 44 264 45 Q 420 70 751 76 C 781 77 799 77 780 98 Q 773 108 753 124 Q 734 137 697 131 Q 451 94 255 86 C 225 85 220 41 250 44 Z"]
Meaning
“国” means a country or nation—an area with its own government, people, and borders (for example, 中国 = China). It can also more generally refer to a state or realm in historical or literary contexts.
Metadata
Locale: en
Cached At: 3/24/2026, 7:17:56 PM

Usage

The character “国” (simplified; traditional: 國) primarily means “country” or “nation” and is extremely common in modern Chinese. Learners first meet it in words like 中国 (China), 美国 (USA), 英国 (UK), and 外国 (foreign country). It also appears in terms related to nationality and citizenship, such as 国家 (country; state), 国人 (nationals; citizens), and 国籍 (nationality). In daily life and textbooks, “国” often signals something belonging to or related to the nation, like 国旗 (national flag), 国歌 (national anthem), 国土 (territory), and 国语 (in some regions, “national language,” usually Mandarin). “国” also appears in many fixed expressions and institutional names that students see in news, government, and education contexts. Examples include 国务院 (State Council), 国会 / 全国人大 (national legislature), and 国际 (international), as in 国际关系 (international relations) or 国际学生 (international students). In these compounds, “国” usually carries the idea of “nation-state” rather than just “land.” Learners usually first recognize it as a core building block for words about countries and anything “national” or “state-level,” and then gradually notice it embedded in more abstract or formal vocabulary.

Handwriting Notes

国 in handwriting is usually written as a fairly compact square shape with an outer “box” surrounding the inner component 玉/王-like shape. On paper, people often slightly round or open the corners of the outer frame instead of keeping it as a perfect printed box, and the inner strokes may be simplified or connected more fluidly—especially the short horizontal strokes, which can become more like one or two flowing lines than three perfectly separated ones. Proportions are important: the inner part typically sits centered and a bit smaller so that there’s a clear margin all around inside the “box,” and the whole character generally fits into a neat, almost symmetrical block. Handwritten forms can vary in how closed the outer box is (the lower-left corner may look a bit open in fast writing), how straight or curved the lines are, and how clearly separated the inner strokes appear. Some writers make the inner component quite simple, with fewer visible breaks, while more careful or calligraphic writing keeps the printed structure more recognizable. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are trained on many such stylistic variations and can usually recognize 国 even when it’s written quickly, with rounded corners, merged inner strokes, or small distortions, as long as the overall outer-box-plus-inner-component structure is preserved.

Description

“国” (guó) is a common Chinese character meaning “country,” “nation,” or “state.” It is used in words like 中国 (Zhōngguó, “China”) and 外国 (wàiguó, “foreign country”). In modern simplified Chinese, it is written with the “enclosure” radical 囗 surrounding the character 玉.

Common Words

  • 国家guójiācountry; nation; state
  • 中国ZhōngguóChina
  • 外国wàiguóforeign country
  • 美国MěiguóUnited States of America
  • 英国YīngguóUnited Kingdom; England
  • 法国FǎguóFrance
  • 德国DéguóGermany
  • 韩国HánguóSouth Korea
  • 泰国TàiguóThailand
  • 回国huíguóto return to one’s country
  • 出国chūguóto go abroad; to leave the country
  • 全国quánguóthe whole country; nationwide
  • 爱国àiguópatriotic; to love one’s country
  • 国旗guóqínational flag
  • 国歌guógēnational anthem
  • 国王guówángking
  • 国民guómíncitizens; nationals; people of a country
  • 国内guónèidomestic; internal (to a country)
  • 国籍guójínationality; citizenship
  • 国土guótǔterritory (of a country)
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