Korean
Korean — adjective
1. Describing something that comes from, or is connected with, North Korea or South
Describing something that comes from, or is connected with, North Korea or South Korea — for example, their food, music, language, traditions, or the people themselves.
The Korean embassy in Seoul hosted a cultural festival for foreign visitors.
collocation: Korean embassy / Korean culture / Korean food
Mayumi went to a Korean restaurant and ordered spicy rice cakes for the first time.
collocation: Korean restaurant / Korean dish
A Korean drama series became the most watched show on the streaming platform this year.
Felipe learned to cook Korean barbecue after watching online cooking videos.
The Korean alphabet, called Hangul, was created in the fifteenth century.
- South Korean
specifically refers to things from South Korea only, while 'Korean' covers both North and South
- North Korean
specifically refers to things from North Korea only, while 'Korean' covers both
文法句型
Korean + noun
用法筆記
Always capitalise 'Korean' when it refers to the country, people, or culture — it is a proper adjective derived from the place name Korea. The compound forms 'South Korean' and 'North Korean' follow the same rule.
常見錯誤
Korean — noun
1. A person who comes from the Korean Peninsula — someone whose nationality is Kore
A person who comes from the Korean Peninsula — someone whose nationality is Korean.
Mira's grandmother is a Korean who moved to Buenos Aires in the 1980s.
pattern: a Korean who + [relative clause]
Many Koreans celebrate Seollal, the Lunar New Year, with family gatherings.
plural form: Koreans + verb
The young Korean at the hostel told Rania which neighbourhoods to visit in Busan.
Emre shared a taxi with two Koreans who were visiting Istanbul for a conference.
The student exchange programme brought ten Koreans to study in Mexico City last semester.
- South Korean
specifies a person from South Korea; more precise when the distinction matters
- North Korean
specifies a person from North Korea
文法句型
a Korean
the Koreans
two Koreans
用法筆記
Use 'a Korean' to refer to one person from Korea, and 'Koreans' for multiple. When the person's specific nationality within the peninsula matters, use 'a South Korean' or 'a North Korean'. The noun form is identical to the adjective form in spelling.
常見錯誤
2. The official language used on the Korean Peninsula, spoken by about eighty milli
The official language used on the Korean Peninsula, spoken by about eighty million people and written with the Hangul alphabet.
Hao is taking evening classes to learn Korean before his business trip to Seoul.
collocation: learn Korean / speak Korean / write in Korean
The street signs in Incheon are written in both Korean and English.
pattern: in Korean (language of written content)
Caio can understand spoken Korean quite well but still finds writing difficult.
The poem was translated from Korean into Spanish by a literary scholar.
Élise practised her Korean pronunciation by reading children's books out loud every evening.
- Hangul
refers specifically to the writing system, not the spoken language
- Korean language
fuller form of the same meaning, used in formal contexts
文法句型
speak Korean
learn Korean
in Korean
Korean is ...
用法筆記
'Korean' as a language name does not take an article when referring to the language in general ('She speaks Korean'), but can take 'the' when referring to the Korean version of something ('the Korean is difficult to read'). Do not use 'a Korean' to mean the language.