護ご国こく

ご

こ

く

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

defense of one's country; national defense

Formal or literary term for protecting the nation; often appears in historical, political, or patriotic contexts, and in compound words like 護国神社.

彼かれは護ご国こくのために命いのちを捧ささげた。
He gave his life for the defense of his country.
護ご国こく神じん社じゃは国くにのために戦たたかった人ひと々びとを祀まつっている。
Gokoku Shrine enshrines those who fought for the nation.

Kanji

護safeguard, protect
国country

Related words

国こく防ぼうN1
国防 is the standard modern term for national defense used in policy and military contexts, while 護国 is a more literary, patriotic term with historical or religious overtones.
防ぼう衛えいN1
防衛 is a neutral, everyday word for defense (of a country, team, title, etc.), whereas 護国 is a formal, nationalistic term reserved for defending one's homeland.

Don't confuse with

保ほ護ご国こく
保護国 means 'protectorate' (a state under another's protection), while 護国 means 'defending one's own country'; the shared kanji can mislead learners.

Word family

保ほ護ご国こく
protectorate
護ご国こく神じん社じゃ
shrine honoring war dead

Etymology

Compound of 護 (go, 'protect') and 国 (koku, 'country'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used in patriotic and religious contexts since at least the Meiji period.