The character 国 — “country”: how to write it and what it means
country
The Chinese character 国 is read guó and means “country”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 国
国 has 8 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 国, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 国 is made of
Outside, 囗 “border”; inside, 玉 “jade”: a treasure behind a wall.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 国
- 中国ChinaHSK 1
- 外国foreign countryHSK 2
- 出国go abroadHSK 2
- 国家country, stateHSK 3
- 国籍nationality, citizenshipHSK 4
- 国际internationalHSK 4
- 国画traditional Chinese paintingHSK 5
- 国庆National DayHSK 5
- 国产domestically madeHSK 6
- 国情state of the countryHSK 6
- 祖国motherland, homelandHSK 6
- 国旗national flagHSK 6
- 国歌national anthemHSK 6
- 国王kingHSK 6
- 国宝national treasureHSK 6
- 联合国UNHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 国?
国 has 8 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 国 mean?
国 means “country”. It appears in 中国 (“China”), 外国 (“foreign country”), 出国 (“go abroad”), 国家 (“country”).
How do you pronounce 国?
国 is read guó. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 国 have?
8 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 国 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free