群

• Reading: ぐん
• Romaji: gun
• Kanji breakdown: 群 (gun/mure) — group, flock, crowd
• Pronunciation: /ɡɯ.n/

Meaning

Group; crowd; flock; cluster. A collection of similar things gathered together.

A noun and suffix meaning a group or cluster. As a suffix -群, it categorises collections: 島群 (tougun, island group), 星群 (seigun, star cluster), 症候群 (shoukougun, syndrome). Also read as むれ (mure) as a standalone noun meaning flock or herd. Common in the expression 群を抜く (to stand out from the crowd).

Examples

1. 空を飛ぶ鳥の群が美しかった。 That country has a powerful military.
2. この地域には火山群がある。 In history class, we learned about the role of the military.
3. 群を抜いた成績で卒業した。 News about military affairs is reported every day.

Usage Guide

Context: nature, science, classification

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 群 combines 君 (lord, ruler) and 羊 (sheep), depicting a flock of sheep under a shepherd's guidance — a unified group.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal