国 guó — country; nation; state
我们用语言认识世界，也认识自己的国家。Wǒ men yòng yǔ yán rèn shi shì jiè, yě rèn shi zì jǐ de guó jiā.We use language to understand the world, and also our own country.
Common words: 国家 (guó jiā)、国外 (guó wài)、外国 (wài guó)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "country"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "country", including 国 (guó), 乡 (xiāng), 邦 (bāng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "country" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 国 (guó), 乡 (xiāng), 邦 (bāng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span guó, xiāng, bāng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 国 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 国 guócountry; nation; stateUseful words: 国家, 国外
- 乡 xiāngcountry; villageUseful words: 家乡, 故乡
- 邦 bānga state; country or nationUseful words: 联邦, 邦国
Common words for these 3 "country" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 国 (guó) — so "country" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
国家guó jiācountry; nation; state国外guó wàiabroad; external (affairs); overseas; foreign外国wài guóforeign country家乡jiā xiānghometown; native place故乡gù xiānghome; homeland; native place乡村xiāng cūnrustic; village; countryside联邦lián bāngfederal; federation; commonwealth; federal union邦国bāng guócountry; state安邦ān bāngto bring peace and stability to a country, region etc
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "country".
乡 xiāng — country; village
他离开家乡已经很多年了。Tā lí kāi jiā xiāng yǐ jīng hěn duō nián le.He has been away from his hometown for many years.
Common words: 家乡 (jiā xiāng)、故乡 (gù xiāng)、乡村 (xiāng cūn)
邦 bāng — a state; country or nation
这两个国家是友好的邻邦。Zhè liǎng ge guó jiā shì yǒu hǎo de lín bāng.These two countries are friendly neighboring states.
Common words: 联邦 (lián bāng)、邦国 (bāng guó)、安邦 (ān bāng)
All 3 characters
Open 国、乡、邦 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.