코로나
korona[kʰo̞ɾo̞na̠]
The English phrase "covid" is translated into Korean as 코로나 (korona).
코로나 is used to refer to the disease caused by a coronavirus discovered in 2019. In everyday conversation, Koreans almost always shorten the term to just 코로나 rather than using the full technical name.
Meaning: disease caused by a coronavirus discovered in 2019 (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 코로나 is the common term used in daily life, 코로나19 is the formal term for COVID-19.
How do you pronounce it?
korona
Did you know?
- In Korea, the word 코로나 is often paired with 블루 to create 코로나 블루, which describes the depression and lethargy felt during the pandemic.
- The word 코로나 can be confused with the beer brand in casual conversation, though context usually prevents misunderstanding.
- Because it is a loanword, the word 코로나 is written using the Hangul alphabet rather than Hanja (Chinese characters) which are used for many other medical terms in Korean.
Examples in context
- 그의 아내는 처음으로 코로나19 증상을 보이기 시작했다.First his wife began showing COVID-19 symptoms.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 코로나 when describing symptoms.Tatoeba #11106651 by intertime, translation #8642060 by Hybrid
- 한국에서 코로나19 확진자가 계속해서 증가하고 있습니다.The number of COVID-19 confirmed cases continues to rise in Korea.
- 코로나 때문에 여행 계획을 취소했어요.I had to cancel my travel plans because of COVID.
- 요즘은 코로나가 거의 사라진 것 같아요.yojeum-eun korona-ga geoui sarajin geot gat-ayo.It seems like corona has almost disappeared lately.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ji-eun and Ji-hun are talking about their health over the phone.
- 지은 Ji-eun지훈 씨, 혹시 코로나에 걸렸어요?Jihun ssi, hoksi korona-e geollyeosseoyo?Ji-hun, did you happen to catch corona?
- 지훈 Ji-hun아니요, 다행히 코로나 증상은 없어요.Aniyo, dahaenghi korona jeung-sang-eun eopseoyo.No, fortunately I don't have any corona symptoms.
- 지은 Ji-eun정말 다행이네요. 조심해서 다녀오세요.Jeongmal dahaeng-ineyo. Josim-haeseo danyeo-oseyo.That's a relief. Please be careful while you're out.
- 지훈 Ji-hun네, 지은 씨도 건강 조심하세요.Ne, Jieun ssi-do geongang josim-haseyo.Yes, please take care of your health too, Ji-eun.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 코로나, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
