homeland; motherland; fatherland; native country
Refers to one's country of origin, often with emotional or patriotic connotations. Used in both formal and everyday contexts.
It has been ten years since he left his homeland.
Fight for one's motherland.
He returned to his homeland after ten years.
Many young people fought for their homeland.
She decided to leave her homeland for work.
故郷 refers to one's hometown or birthplace on a personal, local level, whereas 祖国 refers to the entire nation of origin.
本国 is a neutral, often bureaucratic term for one's home country (as opposed to a foreign posting), while 祖国 emphasizes emotional or patriotic attachment.
祖国 is the common, neutral word for one's native country, while 故国 is more literary and carries a stronger sense of longing or nostalgia.
Sino-Japanese compound of 祖 (ancestor, founder) and 国 (country), literally 'ancestral country'. The term has been used in Japanese since at least the Meiji period to express national identity.