韓国

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 韓国へ旅行に行きます。▶ —
   I am going on a trip to Korea.
2. 韓国料理が好きです。▶ —
   I like Korean food.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Kankoku (韓国) is the Japanese term for Korea, specifically the Republic of Korea — 韓 plus 国. 韓 traces to the ancient Three Han confederacies (Ma, Jin, Byeon Han, 1st century BCE to 4th century CE on the southern Korean peninsula) and entered Chinese classical usage as a peninsular designation. Japan splits the modern usage: kankoku names South Korea (founded 1948), chousen (朝鮮) covers either kita-chousen (North Korea) or the 1910-1945 colonial period. Political sensitivity keeps Japanese media on kankoku (South) and kita-chousen (North) tracks. Kanryuu (韓流, Korean wave) entered the lexicon after the 2003 NHK broadcast of the Korean drama Winter Sonata sparked the Yon-sama (Bae Yong-joon) craze in Japan; K-POP (BTS, BLACKPINK) extended the wave globally. Japans cultural perception of Korea layers ancient and medieval cultural transmission (Baekje, Silla, Goryeo), modern colonial rule, postwar proximate-neighbor frame, and the kanryuu warmth. Korea calls itself Daehan Minguk; English is South Korea; Chinese 韩国 keeps the same kanji. JLPT N5 kankoku is foundational vocabulary for foreigners reading Japan-Korea cultural distance.

Quick check

1. Korean drama that triggered the Japanese kanryuu (Korean wave)?

   • Winter Sonata (冬のソナタ, Fuyu no Sonata, 2003 NHK broadcast)
   • Dae Jang-geum
   • Full House
   • Squid Game