我わが国くに

わ

が

く

に

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

expression, noun

our country; one's own country

A somewhat formal or literary expression for 'our country' or 'my country', used in speeches, writing, or patriotic contexts. In casual speech, 自分の国 or 日本 are more common.

我わが国くにの文ぶん化

か

を

世せ

界かい

に

紹しょう

介かい

し

たい

。

I want to introduce our country's culture to the world.

彼かれは我わが国くにの将しょう来らいについて熱あつく語かたった。

He spoke passionately about the future of our country.

Kanji

国country
我ego, I, selfish

Related words

自じ国こくN1
自国 is a neutral, standard term for one's own country used in news and everyday contexts, while 我が国 carries a more formal, emotive, patriotic tone.
日本にほんN4
日本 is the plain, factual name for Japan, whereas 我が国 adds a sense of belonging or patriotism when referring to Japan as 'our country'.
本ほん朝ちょう
我が国 is a still-current formal phrase for 'our country,' whereas 本朝 is archaic and rarely used outside historical or literary texts.

Written forms

我わが国くに
Standard kanji spelling; 我が is somewhat formal or literary.
わが国くに
Common mixed kanji-kana spelling; the kana わが avoids the formality of 我.

Etymology

Combination of the archaic possessive 我が (わが, 'my/our') and 国 (くに, 'country'). The phrase has been used since classical Japanese to refer to one's homeland.