외국인이에요
oeguginieyo
The English phrase "I am a foreigner" is translated into Korean as 외국인이에요 (oeguginieyo).
This phrase is used to identify yourself as a person from another country.
What does it mean word for word?
The term for foreigner, 외국인 (oegugin), is composed of three parts: 외 (outside), 국 (country) and 인 (person).
Which one should you use?
If you were speaking to a close friend or someone younger, you would use the informal version 외국인이야 instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 외국인이에요 uses the polite ending -이에요, which is used when the preceding noun ends in a consonant.
How do you pronounce it?
oeguginieyo
Did you know?
- The component 국 (guk) in 외국인 is the same character found in the word for 'soup' (국) in many Korean contexts, though they are spelled the same and have different meanings and origins.
- In South Korea, the term 외국인 is often used as a social identity based on ethnicity rather than legal citizenship. Someone born in Korea to foreign parents may be called a 외국인 even if they hold a Korean passport.
- Depending on the context, saying 외국인이에요 can act as a social 'magic word' that prompts Koreans to switch to English or become more patient with a speaker's grammar mistakes.
Examples in context
- 저는 외국인입니다. 한국어를 배우고 있습니다.I am a foreigner. I am learning Korean.
- 나는 외국인이야. 한국 음식을 좋아해.I am a foreigner. I enjoy Korean food.
- 저는 외국인이에요.jeoneun oegugin-ieyo.I am a foreigner.
- 사실 저는 외국인이에요.sasiri jeoneun oegugin-ieyo.Actually, I am a foreigner.
- 저기요, 저는 외국인이에요.jeogiyo, jeoneun oegugin-ieyo.Excuse me, I am a foreigner.
Example conversation
Minji and Jihun are meeting for the first time at a language exchange.
- 민지 Min-ji한국말 정말 잘하시네요!Hangungmal jeongmal jalhasineyo!You speak Korean really well!
- 지훈 Ji-hun감사합니다. 하지만 저 외국인이에요.Gamsahamnida. Hajiman jeo oegugin-ieyo.Thank you. But I am a foreigner.
- 민지 Min-ji정말요? 어느 나라 사람이에요?Jeongmalyo? Eoneu nara saram-ieyo?Really? Which country are you from?
- 지훈 Ji-hun미국에서 왔어요.Migug-eseo wasseoyo.I came from the United States.
