本ほん国ごく

also: ほんこく

ほ

ん

ご

く

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun

home country; one's own country; country of origin

Only with reading ほんごく

Refers to the country a person or thing originally comes from, or the country one considers home. Common in contexts of nationality, products, or returning from abroad.

彼かれは5年ねんぶりに本ほん国ごくへ帰き国こくした。
He returned to his home country after five years.
この製せい品ひんの本ほん国ごくは日本にほんです。
The country of origin of this product is Japan.

noun

suzerain country; colonizing country

Only with reading ほんごく

Historical or political term used from the perspective of a vassal state or colony to refer to the ruling or colonizing power. Not used in everyday conversation.

その植しょく民みん地ちは本ほん国ごくの法ほう律りつに従したがわされた。
The colony was forced to follow the laws of the colonizing country.

noun

ancestral homeland; country of one's ancestors

Only with reading ほんごく

Refers to the country where one's ancestors lived, often used by descendants living abroad. Less common than sense 1 but still encountered in discussions of heritage.

彼かの女じょは曾そう祖そ父ふの本ほん国ごくを訪たずねるために旅りょ行こうした。
She traveled to visit the country of her great-grandfather.

noun

this country; our country

Used in formal or written contexts to refer to one's own country, especially in contrast to foreign nations. Can sound slightly old-fashioned or bureaucratic.

本ほん国ごくの法ほう律りつでは、その行こう為いは禁きん止しされている。
Under the laws of this country, that act is prohibited.

See all 25 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

本ほん国ごくに帰かえるto return to one's home country
彼かれは仕し事ごとを終おえて本ほん国ごくに帰かえった。
He finished his work and returned to his home country.
本ほん国ごくへ送そう還かんするto deport/repatriate someone to their home country
不ふ法ほう滞たい在ざい者しゃは本ほん国ごくへ送そう還かんされた。
The illegal resident was deported back to their home country.
本ほん国ごく政せい府ふthe government of one's home country (esp. as distinct from a colonial administration)
本ほん国ごく政せい府ふからの指し示じを待まっている。
We are waiting for instructions from the home government.

Kanji

本book, present, main
国country

Related words

母ぼ国こくN1sense 1
母国 emphasizes an emotional, nostalgic tie to the country of one's birth, while 本国 is more neutral and can refer to legal or administrative origin.
祖そ国こく sense 1
祖国 carries a patriotic or historical weight like 'fatherland', whereas 本国 is a plainer, more practical term used for things like product origin or nationality.
自じ国こくN1sense 4
自国 simply means 'one's own country' in contrast to other countries, while 本国 more specifically points to the country of origin or ancestral homeland.
本ほん土ど
本国 means the home country or metropolitan state as opposed to colonies, while 本土 more often points to the physical mainland itself.

Opposites

外がい国こくN5sense 1
外国 means 'foreign country', the direct opposite of 本国's sense of one's own home country.
植しょく民みん地ちN2sense 2
植民地 is the colony or vassal territory, the opposite counterpart to 本国 in its sense of 'suzerain/colonizing power'.
現げん地ちN2
本国 means one's home country, the opposite of 現地 when discussing staff or residents currently based abroad.

Don't confuse with

本ほん土ど sense 1
本土 refers to the mainland or main territory of a country as opposed to its outlying islands or colonies, while 本国 refers to one's home country or country of origin as a whole.

Word family

本ほん国ごく人じん
native; citizen
本ほん国ごく法ほう
law of one's home country; national law

Written forms

本国Usage100%
- ほんごく
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading ほんごく is the most common and is used for all senses except the rare reading ほんこく.
- ほんこく
  Rare reading; may appear in older or formal contexts but is not the primary reading.
ほんこく

Etymology

Compound of 本 (hon, 'main' or 'original') and 国 (koku, 'country'). The reading ほんごく is the standard on'yomi combination, while ほんこく is a less common variant.