国籍
guójí · HSK 5
nationality
🌍 国籍 = 国 country + 籍 register/record
国 means country and 籍 means register or record of membership. Together they form the record of which country you belong to — your nationality. The 籍 character also appears in 书籍 (books) and 户籍 (household register).
国 — enclosure 囗 + jade 玉
国 is a simplified form of 國. The outer 囗 represents borders or an enclosed territory, while the inner 玉 (jade) suggests a treasured realm ruled by a sovereign. The traditional 國 used 或 inside, depicting a guarded region with a weapon, later simplified by replacing it with 玉.