国
kuni[kɯ̟ɲ̟i]
The English phrase 'countries' is translated into Japanese as 国 (kuni).
国 refers to political entities that have their own government and defined borders. While you can use 国 to talk about other countries, the term 外国 is frequently used when speaking about 'other countries' or 'abroad' in a general sense.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Japanese, nouns do not change form to indicate plurality, so 国 can mean either 'country' or 'countries' depending on the context. If you wish to explicitly express the plural form 'countries', you can add the suffix -々 to form 国々.
How do you pronounce it?
kuni
Did you know?
- The character 国 is composed of an outer part meaning 'border' or 'boundary' and an inner part that originally depicted a 'jewel' or 'treasure' inside a wall.
- While 国 is the standard term, when Japanese people talk about 'foreign countries', they often use the word 海外 (overseas) instead, which focuses on the direction of travel rather than the political entity.
- The suffix -々 used to turn 国 into the plural 国々 is a special character called 'odorijirushi', which is used to indicate that a word is repeated.
Examples in context
- 日本もイギリスも島国だ。Japan and Britain are island countries.This sentence is useful for describing the geographic nature of Japan and Britain using 国.Tatoeba #3465001 by arnab, translation #281264 by CK
- 稲は温暖な国で育ちます。Rice grows in warm countries.This sentence shows how to describe the climate of a country where rice grows using 国.Tatoeba #10830325 by bunbuku, translation #320210 by jakov
- 他の国に住んでる友達っている？Do you have any friends living in other countries?This sentence is useful for asking about friends living in other 国.Tatoeba #9799785 by small_snow, translation #9799775 by CK
- 71 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Hiroto are talking about their travel dreams.
- 結衣 Yui将来、いろんな国に行きたいな。Shourai, ironna kuni ni ikitai na.I want to go to various countries in the future.
- 大翔 Hirotoいいよね。どこの国が一番気になる？Ii yo ne. Doko no kuni ga ichiban kininaru?That's nice. Which country are you most interested in?
- 結衣 Yuiやっぱり、北欧の国に行ってみたい。Yappari, hokuou no kuni ni itte mitai.As I thought, I want to visit the Nordic countries.
- 大翔 Hirotoおしゃれだね。僕も一緒に行こうかな。Oshare da ne. Boku mo issho ni ikou kana.That's stylish. Maybe I'll go with you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 国, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
