왕국
wangguk[wa̠ŋɡuk̚]
The Korean word for "kingdom" is 왕국 (wangguk).
왕국 refers to a realm ruled by a king or queen. It is primarily used when discussing historical or fictional monarchies, or when including it in the formal names of countries, such as the United Kingdom.
Meaning: realm having as supreme ruler a king or queen (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
wangguk
Did you know?
- The character 왕 is used in the slang term 왕- as a prefix meaning 'super' or 'very', such as 왕배고파 for 'I am super hungry'.
- When referring to the 'animal kingdom', Koreans use 동물계 instead of 왕국, as 계 is the standard term for biological kingdoms.
- The first character 왕 meaning 'king' is one of the most common surnames in Korea, though it is rare compared to names like Kim or Lee.
Examples in context
- 연합 왕국United KingdomThis example shows how to say "United Kingdom" using 왕국.
- 스페인 왕국Kingdom of SpainThis example shows how to say "Kingdom of Spain" using 왕국.
- 대한민국은 멋진 왕국입니다.South Korea is a beautiful kingdom.
- 그 옛날에는 독특한 나라들이 많았어요.There were many unique kingdoms in the old days.
- 영화 속에서 용감한 왕이 나라를 구했어요.The brave king saved the kingdom in the movie.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a fantasy novel.
- 지훈 Ji-hun이 소설 속의 왕국은 정말 멋져요.i sosul sogui wang-guk-eun jeongmal meotjyeoyo.The kingdom in this novel is really cool.
- 지은 Ji-eun맞아요, 지훈 씨, 세계관이 아주 흥미롭네요.majayo, jihun ssi, segyegwani aju heungmiropneyo.That's right, Jihun, the world-building is very interesting.
- 지훈 Ji-hun지은 씨는 이런 장르를 좋아하시나요?jieun ssineun ireon jangreul joahasinayo?Do you like this genre, Jieun?
- 지은 Ji-eun네, 저는 왕국 이야기를 정말 좋아해요.ne, jeoneun wang-guk iyagireul jeongmal joahae-yo.Yes, I really love stories about kingdoms.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kingdom” translations and entries 왕국, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
