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道Nihongo Path
邦

邦·country, state, Japan (as one's own country)

On-yomi
ホウ
Kun-yomi
くに

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
連邦れんぽうfederation, commonwealth
邦人ほうじんJapanese national (abroad)
邦楽ほうがくtraditional Japanese music
異邦人いほうじんforeigner, stranger

Example sentences

  1. 連邦政府が新しい法律を定めた。

    れんぽうせいふがあたらしいほうりつをさだめた。

    The federal government enacted a new law.

  2. 現地の邦人は全員無事だった。

    げんちのほうじんはぜんいんぶじだった。

    All the Japanese nationals on the ground were safe.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 連邦 as れんほう — it voices to れんぽう
  • Mixing 邦人 (Japanese abroad) with 法人 (a legal corporation) — both are ほうじん

Memory aid

Picture it

阝 on the right is the village radical: a cluster of settlements that together make a country — and in Japanese newspapers, one's own country.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 邦 mean?