얼음
eoreum[ʌ̹ɾɯm]
In Korean, the English word "ice" is 얼음 (eoreum).
얼음 is the noun used to refer to water in its frozen form. It is combined with the word for water, 물, to create the compound noun 얼음물, meaning "ice water".
Meaning: water in frozen form (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 얼음 refers to the physical substance of ice, the related verb 얼다 is used to describe the process of freezing or the state of being frozen.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
eoreum
Did you know?
- Children in Korea play a traditional game called 얼음 땡, where one player shouts 얼음 to freeze others in place like statues. The frozen players can only move again if a teammate touches them and shouts 땡.
- In traditional Korean cuisine, 얼음 was historically harvested from rivers in winter and stored in underground pits called 석빙고 to be used during the hot summer months.
- The word 얼음 is used in the idiomatic expression 얼음이 깨지다, which literally means 'the ice breaks'. It describes the moment a tense or awkward atmosphere between people finally relaxes.
Examples in context
- 네 손이 얼음처럼 차가워.Your hand is as cold as ice.This sentence uses 얼음 to make a comparison regarding coldness.Tatoeba #11105187 by intertime, translation #553949 by teh
- 얼음이 걸어도 될만큼 두꺼워.The ice is thick enough to walk on.This sentence uses 얼음 to describe the thickness of the ice.Tatoeba #4751795 by kimhkng, translation #46242 by CK
- 얼음이 녹았어.The ice melted.This sentence uses 얼음 to describe the state of the ice melting.Tatoeba #8363669 by Eunhee, translation #415449 by CM
- 컵에 얼음을 넣어주세요.Please put ice in the cup.
- 더운 날씨에 얼음이 필요해요.I need ice in this hot weather.
- 아이스 커피 주세요.Please give me iced coffee.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Jihoon and Jieun are making drinks at home.
- 지훈 Ji-hun지은 씨, 얼음 있어요?Jieun ssi, il-eum isseoyo?Jieun, is there any ice?
- 지은 Ji-eun네, 냉장고에 얼음이 있어요.Ne, naengjanggo-e il-eumi isseoyo.Yes, there is ice in the fridge.
- 지훈 Ji-hun그럼 얼음 좀 가져다줄래요?Geureom il-eum jom gajyeoda-jullaeyo?Then, could you bring me some ice?
- 지은 Ji-eun잠시만 기다려 주세요.Jamsiman gidaryeo ju-se-yo.Please wait a moment.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ice” translations and entries 얼음, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
