国連
Meaning in EnglishU.N., United Nations
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
国連 denotes the United Nations, the international organization dedicated to maintaining international peace and security, promoting development, human rights, and humanitarian aid.
Main meanings
- Primary meaning as the Japanese shorthand for the United Nations, a global intergovernmental organization
- Used in formal contexts such as government statements, news reports, and academic writing to refer to the UN
- Often appears in compound terms like 国連平和維持活動 (UN Peacekeeping) or 国連総会 (UN General Assembly)
How to use it
Used as a formal proper noun in Japanese. In journalism, diplomacy, and academia it refers to the United Nations, while in everyday language the abbreviated form 国連 is commonly used; typical usages include 国連が採択した決議 and 国連平和維持活動に関する報告.
Variants and close terms
- 国際連合 — full, formal Japanese name, Kokusai Rengō
- UN — English acronym, UN
Composition
- 国 = country, nation
- 連 = connect, join; conveys the idea of uniting
- Together these two characters form a shorthand for a union of nations, and they commonly stand for the longer 国際連合 in modern Japanese
Etymology
国際連合 (Kokusai Rengō) shortened to 国連, a common contraction that yields a two-character shorthand widely used in modern Japanese.
Origin
Origin in modern Japan after World War II, with the founding of the United Nations in 1945 and the subsequent adoption of the abbreviation 国連 in official and media language.
Word class
noun (名詞, 固有名詞)