영국인
yeonggugin[jʌ̹ŋɡuɡin]
The English phrase "british" is translated into Korean as 영국인 (yeonggugin).
영국인 is used to refer to a British person. While it is a noun, it is often used in contexts where English speakers might use the adjective "British."
Meaning: of Britain (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
Note that 영국 means United Kingdom.
How do you pronounce it?
yeonggugin
Did you know?
- When talking about British people, Koreans may use the term 신사 meaning 'gentleman'. The stereotype of the 'British Gentleman' is deeply embedded in Korean cultural perceptions of 영국인.
- The word 영국 comes from the Hanja characters for 'eternal' and 'country'. This was a phonetic approximation chosen during the late 19th century to represent the 'England' sound.
- Because Korean is a hierarchical language, a speaker might add 분 instead of 인 to be extra polite when referring to a British person, turning it into 영국 분.
Examples in context
- 그 사람은 영국인입니다.That person is British.
- 그 친구는 영국사람이야.That friend is British.
- 그는 영국인이에요.geuneun yeonggukinieyo.He is British.
- 영국인 친구가 있어요.yeonggukin chinguga isseoyo.I have a British friend.
- 저 사람은 영국인인가 봐요.jeo sarameun yeonggukininga bwayo.That person looks British.
Example conversation
Minji and Dohyun are talking about a new coworker at their office.
- 민지 Min-ji그 신입 사원은 영국인이에요?geu sinip sawoneun yeonggukinieyo?Is the new employee British?
- 도현 Do-hyeon네, 영국인이에요.ne, yeonggukinieyo.Yes, he is British.
- 민지 Min-ji정말 멋진 영국인 남자분이네요.jeongmal meotjin yeonggukin namjabuni-neyo.He is a really cool British man.
- 도현 Do-hyeon매너가 정말 좋아요.maenera jeongmal joayo.His manners are really good.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 영국인, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 영국인, CC BY-SA 4.0.
