인도인
indoin
To say Indian in Korean, meaning a person from India, use 인도인 (indoin).
인도인 refers to people from India. In everyday speech, 인도 사람 is a common, less formal alternative.
Meaning: of India (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
인도인 is made of 인도, meaning India and 인, meaning person.
Which one should you use?
인디언 is used specifically for Native Americans, not for people from India.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix -인 follows a country name to mean a person from that country. To use Indian as an adjective, such as Indian food, Koreans put 인도 directly before the noun.
How do you pronounce it?
It is written in Latin letters as indoin.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use 인디언 for people from India. It refers to Native Americans.
Did you know?
- In Korean, 인도 is a homonym that also means 'sidewalk' or 'pavement'. Context is the only way to tell if a speaker is talking about the country of India or the path next to a road.
- The word 인도 for India is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Indus'. Because Korean borrowed many terms via Chinese, the name reflects an ancient East Asian interpretation of the river's name.
- The term 인도 (indo) for India is actually a Sino-Korean word. It is composed of Hanja characters that are used across many East Asian languages to refer to the Indian subcontinent.
Examples in context
- 저희 회사에는 인도인 직원이 있습니다.We have an Indian employee in our company.
- 제 친구는 인도인입니다.je chin-guneun indoin-imnida.My friend is Indian.
- 저분은 친절한 인도인이에요.jeobun-eun chinjeolhan indoin-ieyo.That person is a kind Indian.
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Dohyun are looking at a photo of a colleague.
- 서연 Seo-yeon이 분은 어느 나라 사람이에요?I buneun eoneu nara saram-ieyo?Which country is this person from?
- 도현 Do-hyeon이분은 인도인이에요.Ibuneun indoin-ieyo.This person is Indian.
- 서연 Seo-yeon정말 멋지시네요.Jeongmal meotjisineyo.They look really cool.
- 도현 Do-hyeon맞아요, 성격도 아주 좋으세요.Majayo, seonggyeokdo aju joeuseyo.Right, they have a very great personality too.
