憂ゆう国こく

ゆ

う

こ

く

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

patriotic concern; love of country; anxiety for the nation's future

A somewhat literary term for deep, often anxious, love of one's country and concern for its future. Commonly used in political or historical contexts.

彼かれの演えん説ぜつには強つよい憂ゆう国こくの念ねんが感かんじられた。
His speech conveyed a strong sense of patriotic concern.
憂ゆう国こくの士しとして知しられる政せい治じ家かだった。
He was a politician known as a patriot deeply concerned for his country.

See all 6 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

憂ゆう国こくの〈人ひと〉a patriot deeply concerned for the nation (e.g. poet, journalist)
彼かれは憂ゆう国こくの詩し人じんとして知しられている。
He is known as a patriotic poet deeply concerned for his country.
憂ゆう国こくの情じょうを抱いだくto harbor feelings of patriotic concern
老ろう人じんは晩ばん年ねんまで憂ゆう国こくの情じょうを抱いだいていた。
The old man harbored patriotic concern for his country until his final years.

Kanji

憂melancholy, grieve, lament
国country

Related words

愛あい国こく
愛国 is the common, everyday word for love of country, while 憂国 adds a literary nuance of worry or concern about the nation's future.
愛あい国こく心しん
愛国心 is the standard noun for 'patriotism' as a general sentiment, whereas 憂国 specifically implies anxious concern for the country's fate.
憂ゆう慮りょ
憂慮 means general anxiety or concern about any matter, while 憂国 narrows that worry specifically to the state of one's nation.

Don't confuse with

憂ゆう鬱うつN2
憂鬱 shares the kanji 憂 with 憂国 but means personal melancholy or depression, not concern for the nation.

Word family

憂ゆう国こく忌き
anniversary of Yukio Mishima's death
慨がい世せい憂ゆう国こく
patriotic concern for the nation's state
憂ゆう国こく慨がい世せい
patriotic concern for the nation's state

Etymology

Compound of 憂 (ゆう, 'worry, anxiety') and 国 (こく, 'country'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used in literary and political contexts since at least the early modern period.