나는 여자야
naneun yeojaya
The English phrase "I am a girl" is translated into Korean as 나는 여자야 (naneun yeojaya).
This phrase is used to state that the speaker is a female child or person.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase breaks down as follows: 나 (na) means "I" in an informal context. 여자 (yeoja) means "woman" or "girl". And the ending 야 (ya) is an informal way to say "am/is/are" when the preceding noun ends in a vowel.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a polite version, you can use 저는 여자예요. In very formal situations, you can use the formal statement ending 입니다. Additionally, 난 is a casual contraction of 나는.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "I am not a girl" in the same informal register, you use the negative form 나는 여자가 아니야.
How do you pronounce it?
naneun yeojaya
Did you know?
- In Korean, you can omit the word 'I' (나) entirely if the context is clear. Simply saying 여자야 is a perfectly natural way to state 'I am a girl' when someone asks you.
- The word 여자 is composed of two characters: 여 meaning 'female' and 자 meaning 'person'. This structure is common for many gender-related terms in Korean.
- The term 여자 is used in the compound 여자친구 (yeoja-chingu) to mean 'girlfriend', but 친구 (chingu) on its own simply means 'friend' regardless of gender.
Examples in context
- 제가 여자입니다.I am a girl
- 나는 여자야.naneun yeojaya.I am a girl.
- 미안하지만, 나는 여자야.mianhajiman, naneun yeojaya.I am sorry, but I am a girl.
- 정체를 밝히자면, 나는 여자야.jeongche-reul balkhijamyeon, naneun yeojaya.To reveal my identity, I am a girl.
Example conversation
Two children are talking about their identities while playing.
- 도현 Do-hyeon너는 남자니?neoneun namjani?Are you a boy?
- 서연 Seo-yeon아니, 나는 여자야.ani, naneun yeojaya.No, I am a girl.
- 도현 Do-hyeon아, 그렇구나. 미안해.a, geureokuna. mianhae.Oh, I see. I'm sorry.
- 서연 Seo-yeon괜찮아, 도현아.gwaenchana, dohyeona.It's okay, Dohyun.
