全国
ぜんこく · zenkoku · JLPT N3 · noun
state
🗾 全国 = whole (全) + country (国): the whole country
全 (zen) means all or whole, as in 全部 (zenbu, everything). 国 (koku) means country, as in 外国 (gaikoku, foreign country). Put together, all of the country: nationwide.
全 — enter 入 on top + jade 玉
Originally written as 入 (enter) over 玉 (jade), depicting a complete, unflawed piece of jade kept in storage. From this image of a perfect jade came the meanings 'whole,' 'complete,' and 'entire.' The top component is sometimes written as 人.
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.