Nation
Noun
くに
お国はどちらですか。
Which country are you from?
この国は安全だと思っていたのに、がっかりです。
I thought this country was safe, but now I'm disappointed.
私の国には、猫が焼くアップルパイのお店がある。
In my country, there is a shop that sells apple pies made by a cat.
The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well.
Since this word is made up of a single kanji, it should use the kun'yomi reading. When learning the kanji, you didn't learn that reading, so here's a mnemonic to help you with this word:
Tell me about your country. Now imagine your country covered in raccoons (くに), taking up every inch of the ground. In your country you have to walk on top of them there are so many. That's why your country is known as "(rac)coon country."