말
mal[ma̠(ː)ɭ]
The Korean word for horse is 말 (mal).
말 refers to members of the species Equus ferus.
Meaning: members of the species ''Equus ferus'' (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
mal
What mistakes should you avoid?
Caution: the word 말 is a homonym with the Korean word for 'word' or 'speech'.
Did you know?
- While 말 means 'horse' and 'speech' today, these two words had different pitches in Middle Korean to tell them apart.
- While English speakers use 'horse' as a simple noun, a Korean learner must remain alert to the fact that 말 can also function as a counter for certain units or quantities in specific historical contexts.
Examples in context
- 난 말 한 마리를 샀어.I bought a horse.This sentence is useful for seeing how to express the purchase of a single horse using 말.Tatoeba #8365127 by Eunhee, translation #5858488 by CK
- 저 말, 대화가 가능해.That horse can talk.This sentence shows how to describe a horse with the ability to talk using 말.Tatoeba #13250270 by qiwiwi, translation #9534595 by shekitten
- 톰은 자기 말한테 물렸어.Tom has been bitten by his horse.This sentence demonstrates how to describe a horse biting someone using 말.Tatoeba #8365126 by Eunhee, translation #7543484 by CK
- 제 소개를 할게요. 저는 말 좋아하는 사람이에요.Let me introduce myself. I am a person who likes horses.
- 말과 사람 사이에는 특별한 유대감이 있어요.There is a special bond between horses and humans.
- 이 동네에 유명한 말 경주가 있어.There's a famous horse race in this neighborhood.
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Subin and Jihun are watching animals at a farm.
- 수빈 Su-bin지훈 씨, 저 말 좀 보세요!Jihun ssi, jeo mal jom boseyo!Jihun, look at that horse!
- 지훈 Ji-hun정말 크고 멋진 말이야.Jeongmal keugo meotjin mariya.It is a really big and cool horse.
- 수빈 Su-bin수빈이는 저 말이 조금 무서워요.Subin-ineun jeo mari jogeum museowoyo.Subin is a little scared of that horse.
- 지훈 Ji-hun걱정 마, 순한 말이야.Geokjeong ma, sunhan mariya.Don't worry, it's a gentle horse.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “horse” translations and entries 말, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 말, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
