国旗（こっき、koっki）
- national flag

The Japanese word 国旗 (こっき, *kokki*) means "national flag" or "flag of a country." It refers to the flag that represents a particular nation. It's a symbol of a country's identity, sovereignty, and often, its values and history. It is used in various contexts, from official ceremonies to everyday displays of patriotism. The word itself combines the words for "country" and "flag."

⚫︎日本の国旗は白と赤です。 Translation: The Japanese national flag is white and red. ⚫︎オリンピックで、たくさんの国旗が見えました。 Translation: I saw many national flags at the Olympics. ⚫︎その国旗のデザインは美しい。 Translation: The design of that national flag is beautiful.

国旗 is used in formal and informal situations. It can be used in conversations about: ⚫︎ Events like the Olympics or international conferences where flags are displayed. ⚫︎ Countries and their symbols. ⚫︎ National holidays and celebrations. ⚫︎ Political discussions concerning a country. You would use it to talk about the physical flag itself or the concept of a national flag. For example, you might say, 国旗を掲げる(こっきをかかげる), which means "to raise a national flag".

⚫︎ The word is written in kanji as 国旗. ⚫︎ The reading is こっき in hiragana. ⚫︎ It is not typically written in katakana. ⚫︎ The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is standard and doesn't have variations.

There aren't many direct synonyms for 国旗. The meaning is very specific. However, words like: ⚫︎ 旗(はた, *hata*) - flag (general term) ⚫︎ 象徴(しょうちょう, *shōchō*) - symbol can be related depending on the context.

There is no direct antonym for 国旗. The opposite could be a phrase that describes a *non-national* flag or a flag from a different organization.

式典で、国旗が掲揚されました。 ・Translation: The national flag was raised at the ceremony. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the action of raising the national flag at a formal event, using the verb 掲揚する(けいようする, *keiyō suru*), meaning "to raise (a flag)".

旅行中に、色々な国の国旗を見ました。 ・Translation: During my trip, I saw the national flags of various countries. ・Explanation: This sentence describes seeing the national flags of many different nations during travel.

The word 国旗 is a compound word: ⚫︎ 国(くに, *kuni*) means "country" or "nation." ⚫︎ 旗(はた, *hata*) means "flag". Therefore, 国旗 simply means "country flag" or "national flag".