国家
こっか · kokka · JLPT N3 · noun
country
🏳️🏠 国家 = country + house: a nation is one big household
国 (koku) means country and 家 (ka) means house or family. Together they describe the state as one shared household. The sounds merge, so koku + ka becomes kokka.
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.
家 — roof 宀 + pig 豕
Originally a pictograph of a pig under a roof, since domesticated pigs were kept in or under the home in ancient China. Over time the meaning broadened from 'household' to 'family,' and by extension 'home' or a specialist (as in 专家, 'expert').