라마
rama[ɾa̠ma̠]
The English word 'llama' is translated into Korean as 라마 (rama).
The word refers to the South American mammal of the camel family, *Lama glama*.
Meaning: South American mammal of the camel family, Lama glama (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is rama.
Did you know?
- The word 라마 for the animal is a loanword from English, while the same spelling used for a Buddhist leader originates from Tibetan.
- In Korean, the sound 'r' and 'l' are represented by the same consonant, ㄹ, meaning a Korean speaker pronounces the start of 라마 with a sound that is somewhere between an English 'r' and 'l'.
- Because 라마 is a loanword from English, it is often written in the Hangul script, whereas many indigenous names for animals in Korean are pure Korean words.
Examples in context
- 라마는 매우 귀여워요.ramaneun ve-mu gwi-yeo-wo-yo.Llamas are very cute.
- 동물원에서 라마를 봤어요.dong-mul-won-e-seo ra-ma-reul bwas-seo-yo.I saw a llama at the zoo.
- 저기 라마가 있어요.jeo-gi ra-ma-ga is-seo-yo.There is a llama over there.
Example conversation
Minjun and Jieun are looking at a picture book about animals.
- 민준 Min-jun지은 씨, 이 동물은 뭐예요?Jieun ssi, i dongmureun mwoyeyo?Jieun, what is this animal?
- 지은 Ji-eun이건 라마라고 해요.Igeon ramarago haeyo.This is called a llama.
- 민준 Min-jun라마는 낙타랑 비슷하게 생겼네요.Ramaneun naktharang biseutage saenggyeotneyo.Llamas look similar to camels.
- 지은 Ji-eun맞아요, 아주 비슷해요.Majayo, aju biseuthaeyo.That's right, they are very similar.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “llama” translations and entries 라마, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 라마, CC BY-SA 4.0.
