祖国 zǔguó motherland
How to remember 祖国: 祖 ancestor + 国 country = motherland.
Characters
How it is used
- Motherland / one's homeland - 热爱祖国 (rè'ài zǔguó) love one's motherland.
- Emotionally charged, patriotic term for one's country as a nation one belongs to; not neutral like 国家 (guójiā, country/state).
- Formal and heartfelt; common in patriotic and ceremonial contexts.
Example sentences
- 我爱我的祖国。 Wǒ ài wǒ de zǔguó.I love my country.
- 他们为祖国而战斗。 Tāmen wèi zǔguó ér zhàndòu.They fought for the sake of their country.