noun
China (archaic); Korea (archaic)
Archaic term used in classical Japanese texts to refer to China or Korea. The specific referent depends on context. Not used in modern Japanese; modern terms are 中国 for China and 韓国 (かんこく) for South Korea.
古い文献には「からくに」という言葉が中国や朝鮮を指して使われている。
In old documents, the word 'karakuni' is used to refer to China or Korea.
From から (ancient name for China/Korea) + くに (country). The exact origin of から is uncertain, but it appears in many old compounds referring to foreign lands, especially China and Korea.