Country, Nation
noun
The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well.
くに
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 that everyone in your country has cool knees (くに). That's because the national dress code is shorts, so everyone's knees get chilly. That why they have cool knees. You could also imagine cool knees in the sense of trendy knees. What makes for cool knees, in your opinion?
お国はどちらですか。
Which country are you from?
私はブルガリアという国の生まれです。
I was born in a country called Bulgaria.
この国は夜に女の人が一人で出かけても安全ですよ。
This country is safe for a woman to go out alone at night.