눈
nun[nun]
The Korean word for "eye" is 눈 (nun).
눈 is the most commonly used word for "eye" in Korean.
Meaning: organ (noun)
Which one should you use?
The word 눈 is a homonym. Depending on the context, it can mean either "eye" or "snow".
How does it change in a sentence?
When 눈 is the subject of a sentence, the particle –이 is attached to form 눈이. When it is the direct object of a verb, the particle –을 is attached to form 눈을.
How do you pronounce it?
nun
Did you know?
- Korean uses the word 눈치 to describe the intuitive ability to read a person's mood or the atmosphere of a room by observing their 'eyes'.
- The phrase 눈이 높다, which literally means 'the eyes are high', is used to describe someone with very high standards or expensive taste.
- The expression 눈을 감다, meaning 'to close one's eyes', is a common euphemism for dying.
Examples in context
- 귀여운 여자애가 톰의 눈길을 사로잡았어.A cute girl caught Tom's eye.This sentence shows how someone can catch another person's eye using 눈.Tatoeba #8363262 by Eunhee, translation #8173655 by Hybrid
- 눈에는 눈, 이에는 이An eye for an eye, a tooth for a toothThis sentence uses 눈 in the common idiom for an eye for an eye.
- 개 눈에는 똥만 보인다The dog's eye can only see shit.This sentence uses 눈 in a proverb about a dog's perspective.Tatoeba #2655652 by KoreanBeaver, translation #3657862 by rbbrbb
- 저의 눈은 갈색입니다.My eyes are brown.
- 안구 검사를 받았어요.I had an eye examination.
- 너의 눈동자 색깔이 예쁘다.The color of your iris is beautiful.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minji and Dohyeon are looking at a photo of a baby.
- 민지 Min-ji이 아기는 눈이 정말 커요.i agineun nuni jeongmal keoyo.This baby has really big eyes.
- 도현 Do-hyeon맞아요, 눈이 정말 예쁘네요.majayo, nuni jeongmal yeppeuneyo.That's true, the eyes are really pretty.
- 민지 Min-ji도현 씨 눈도 아주 멋져요.dohyeon ssi nundo aju meotjyeoyo.Dohyeon, your eyes are also very cool.
- 도현 Do-hyeon민지 씨도 눈이 참 맑아요.minji ssi do nun-i cham malgayo.Minji, your eyes are very clear too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eye” translations and entries 눈, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
