くに

Japanese

Etymology 1

For pronunciation and definitions of くに – see the following entry.

【国】2 [noun] a land, a large place [noun] a country in general, a region [noun] a country as in a nation, a state [noun] the office of emperor, the crown; affairs of state [noun] a province of ancient Japan [noun] the national government in ancient Japan; the national capital in ancient Japan [noun] one's birthplace, where one is from, one's home Alternative spelling 邦

(This term, くに (kuni), is the hiragana spelling of the above term.) For a list of all kanji read as くに, see Category:Japanese kanji read as くに.)

Etymology 2

Alternative spelling
訓

From 訓 (kun, “native Japanese reading”), with an epenthetic vowel -i added, in turn from Middle Chinese 訓 (MC xjunH).

Attested in the Utsubo Monogatari.

Noun

くに • (kuni) 

1. (obsolete) the native Japanese reading