나라들
naradeul
The English phrase "countries" is translated into Korean as 나라들 (naradeul).
나라들 is the plural form used to refer to multiple nations or distinct territorial political entities.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 나라, meaning "country" and the plural suffix 들, which is a plural marker.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Korean, the plural suffix 들 is often optional. The singular form 나라 can be used to mean both "country" and "countries" depending on the context of the sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
naradeul
Did you know?
- The phrase 나라를 잃다, meaning 'to lose one's country', is a deeply emotional expression in Korea referring to the period of Japanese colonization.
- Koreans use 나라 in a metaphorical sense to describe a state of mind or a fictional world, such as 꿈나라, which literally means 'dream country'.
- In certain Korean dialects or older literature, the way pluralization is handled can differ, but in standard modern Korean, the suffix 들 is uniquely versatile and can even be attached to verbs to imply 'they' or 'everyone'.
Examples in context
- 미국입니다It is the United States.
- 많은 나라들을 여행하고 싶어요.maneun naradeureul yeohaenghago sipeoyo.I want to travel to many countries.
- 그 나라들은 서로 아주 달라요.geu naradeureun seoro aju dallayo.Those countries are very different from each other.
- 세계의 여러 나라들을 배웠어요.segyeui yeoreo naradeureul baeueosseoyo.I learned about many countries in the world.
Example conversation
Dohyun and Minji are looking at a world map together.
- 도현 Do-hyeon민지 씨, 지도에 나라들이 정말 많네요.Minji ssi, jidoe naradeuri jeongmal manneyo.Minji, there are so many countries on the map.
- 민지 Min-ji네, 도현 씨. 다 가보고 싶어요.Ne, Dohyun ssi. da gabogo sipeoyo.Yes, Dohyun. I want to visit them all.
- 도현 Do-hyeon어떤 나라들이 가장 궁금해요?eotteon naradeuri gajang gunggeumhaeyo?Which countries are you most curious about?
- 민지 Min-ji유럽에 있는 나라들이 궁금해요.yureobe inneun naradeuri gunggeumhaeyo.I'm curious about the countries in Europe.
