Abbreviation for America/the United States, used mainly in compounds and news contexts. Not used as a standalone word for 'America' in ordinary conversation; the full form アメリカ or 米国 is used instead.
See also: アメリカ
The US president visited Japan.
Japan-US relations are important.
米国 is the fuller, formal written form for 'the United States', while 米 is the bare abbreviation used inside other compounds like 米兵 or 訪米.
Abbreviation from the first character of the ateji spelling 亜米利加 (アメリカ). The character 米 was chosen for its sound rather than its meaning ('rice').
visit to the United States; US visit
square meter
pro-American
staying in the U.S.; residing in the U.S.; based in the U.S.
cooked rice
rice-based diet; rice-centered diet
rice; grain
88th birthday; celebration of one's 88th year
stationed in the US; resident in the US
rice price; price of rice
pro-American
toward the US; with the US; US-related
returning to the United States · kibei; Japanese-American nisei sent to Japan for education before returning to the US
dispatching to the US; sending to the US
staying in the United States
arrival in the United States
cubic meter
the United States and the Soviet Union; American-Soviet
rice crop; rice production
American side; American position; American delegation