생물학
saengmulhak[sʰɛŋmuɾɦa̠k̚]
The Korean word for biology is 생물학 (saengmulhak).
생물학 is a noun referring to the study of living matter.
Meaning: study of living matter (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 생물, meaning living thing and 학, meaning study or science.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can create the noun for a person who practices this field, a biologist, by adding the suffix –자 to the end of the word to form 생물학자.
How do you pronounce it?
saengmulhak
Did you know?
- In Korean, the word 생물 can refer both to the scientific 'organism' and to 'fresh/live' products, such as 생물 꽃 for 'fresh flowers'.
- The character 생 in 생물학 also appears in the word 생일, meaning 'birthday', as both rely on the root for 'life' or 'birth'.
- The suffix 학 in 생물학 is so versatile that it transforms almost any noun into an academic field, turning a simple word like 'law' 법 into 'jurisprudence' 법학.
Examples in context
- 그녀는 수학, 물리, 생물학 수업을 한다.She teaches lessons in math, physics, and biology.This sentence is useful for seeing how to list subjects like math, physics and 생물학 in a sentence.Tatoeba #11106702 by intertime, translation #5595612 by marcj794
- 생물학 공부는 흥미로워요.Biology studies are interesting.
- 중학교 때 생물학에 관심을 갖게 되었어요.I became interested in biology during middle school.
Example conversation
Two university students are talking about their classes in the hallway.
- 지훈 Ji-hun지은 씨는 무엇을 공부해요?jieun ssineun mueoseul gongbuhaeyo?What are you studying, Jieun?
- 지은 Ji-eun저는 생물학을 전공하고 있어요.jeoneun saengmulhageul jeonggonghago isseoyo.I am majoring in biology.
- 지훈 Ji-hun와, 생물학은 정말 어렵지 않아요?wa, saengmulhageun jeongmal eoryeopji anayo?Wow, isn't biology really difficult?
- 지은 Ji-eun조금 어렵지만 재미있어요.jogeum eoryeopjiman jaemiisseoyo.It's a bit hard, but it's fun.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “biology” translations and entries 생물학, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
