Key Facts
- Hangul: 나라; Revised Romanization: nara
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: neutral, everyday word; 국가 is the more formal equivalent
Country in Korean: What Does 나라 Mean?
나라 has two closely related senses: a country as a place on the map, and a nation as a people and state. In conversation it is the default word, as in the classic question 어느 나라에서 왔어요?, "Which country are you from?". The compound 우리나라, literally "our country", is how Koreans refer to Korea.
How Do You Pronounce 나라?
Two open syllables, na-ra, with no final consonants. The ㄹ between the vowels is a quick tap of the tongue, closer to the tt in American "butter" than to an English r.
Example Sentences with 나라
어느 나라에서 왔어요?
Eoneu naraeseo wasseoyo
Which country are you from?
어느 means "which", 에서 means "from", and 왔어요 is "came". It is the standard question when you meet someone new.
한국은 작은 나라예요.
Hangugeun jageun naraeyo
Korea is a small country.
작은 means "small", and 예요 is the polite form of "to be" after a vowel. 한국은 makes Korea the topic.
저는 다른 나라에 가고 싶어요.
Jeoneun dareun narae gago sipeoyo
I want to go to another country.
다른 나라 means "another country", and 가고 싶어요 means "want to go". 에 marks the destination.
Common Phrases and Collocations
우리나라 is written as one word when it means Korea.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 다른 나라 | another country |
| 나라 이름 | country name |
| 우리나라 | our country (Korea) |
| 나라를 사랑하다 | to love one's country |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: writing 우리 나라, with a space, when you mean Korea.
Correct: 우리나라, as one word. Also, for "a foreign country" or "abroad", use 외국 rather than 나라 alone.
나라 Compared with Similar Words
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 나라 | country, nation | This page's word: the everyday native word |
| 국가 | nation, state (formal) | More formal or written; used in politics and the news |
| 외국 | foreign country | A country other than your own |
| 고향 | hometown | A person's home town or region, not a whole country |
Where Does the Word Come From?
나라 is a native Korean word and has no hanja form. Its formal counterpart, 국가, is Sino-Korean.
Meeting a Classmate at a Language Exchange
Two learners are introducing themselves before class. The question concerns the country someone came from, and the reply uses the country name directly.
Jisu
어느 나라에서 왔어요?
Eoneu naraeseo wasseoyo?
Which country are you from?
Alex
캐나다에서 왔어요.
Kaenadaeseo wasseoyo.
I’m from Canada.
Jisu
고향은 어디예요?
Gohyangeun eodiyeyo?
Where is your hometown?
Alex
토론토예요.
Torontoyeyo.
It’s Toronto.
The second question narrows the conversation from a country to a hometown. 고향 asks about a person's home place, so a city or region can answer it. 나라 asks for the country. Alex answers with short sentences because the questions already make the missing information clear.
Asking about Origin and Nationality
어느 나라 사람이에요? means “What country are you from?”, more literally “Which country's person are you?” 사람 means person, and the phrase asks about someone's national background. 어느 나라에서 왔어요? literally asks which country they came from. In introductions the two can lead to similar replies, but travel history and nationality are not always the same.
A person may have travelled from one country while holding citizenship of another. On a form, 국적 means nationality or citizenship. That field needs the person's nationality, which may differ from their departure country or current address. 나라 alone is too broad to tell you which of these a form requires.
You can answer a casual question with a country name plus 에서 왔어요, as Alex does. You do not need to translate the English word “country” again after the name. 캐나다 already names the country. Adding 나라 after every country name would make ordinary introductions sound unnatural.
Useful Combinations beyond Country Names
여러 나라 means “several countries” or “many countries”. It works when discussing a trip, classmates from different places, or international food. 세계 여러 나라 means “many countries around the world”. Here 세계 adds the worldwide setting; 나라 still names the individual countries.
다른 나라 means “another country” or “other countries”, depending on the sentence. 다른 나라에 가다 means going to another country. 다른 나라에서 살다 means living in another country. The noun phrase stays the same, while the particle and verb tell you whether someone is travelling there or living there.
나라 이름 means “country name”. You may see it in a geography exercise asking you to label a map. 나라 이름을 쓰다 means writing the country's name. This is a practical phrase for understanding a worksheet even before you know all the country names it expects.
Where Will You Hear 나라 Rather than 국가?
나라 fits introductions, children's books and ordinary descriptions of travel. 국가 appears more in official discussion of states and national affairs. A news report can use either, but 국가 draws attention to the state as an institution. The difference concerns style and emphasis, rather than two different kinds of place.
우리나라 is especially common in Korean school materials and conversation about Korea. It presents the country from a shared Korean viewpoint. An English learner translating it should identify whose viewpoint the passage uses. In a Korean article, “Korea” may communicate the reference more clearly than an unexplained “our country”.
Place Words to Learn with 나라
| Korean | Meaning | What it identifies |
|---|---|---|
| 국적 | nationality; citizenship | A person's national membership, often on forms. |
| 도시 | city | An urban place within a country. |
| 고향 | hometown; home region | The place someone considers their original home. |
| 외국 | foreign country; abroad | A country viewed as outside one's own. |
The geography and countries lesson puts country names beside other place words. Keeping the scale clear helps with replies: a city answers a city question, while a country name answers 어느 나라.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 고향 always ask for a country?
- Which form field asks for nationality: 국적 or 나라 이름?
- What does 여러 나라 mean?
Show answers
- No. A hometown or home region can be the answer.
- 국적. 나라 이름 simply means country name.
- Several or many countries.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I ask which country someone is from?
Say 어느 나라에서 왔어요?
How do I say "I want to go to another country"?
Say 저는 다른 나라에 가고 싶어요.
How do I write "our country"?
When it means Korea, write it as one word: 우리나라.
Is 나라 or 국가 more formal?
국가 is more formal and written. 나라 is the everyday word.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: geography and countries vocabulary for more place words.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Read next: Korea in Korean.