산
san[sʰa̠n]
The Korean word for mountain is 산 (san). Wiktionary also lists 메 뫼 (moe).
Meaning: large mass of earth and rock (noun)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 산 | san | [sʰa̠n] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 메 뫼 | moe |
산 refers to a large mass of earth and rock. It can be used as both a standalone noun and as a suffix to indicate a mountain.
How do you pronounce it?
san
Did you know?
- Early eighth-century Japanese documents used the word mure to refer to mountains, which likely reflected the Old Korean pronunciation of the time.
- The term 모롱이 refers specifically to the 'curve of a mountain spur', showing how Korean has highly specific native words for different mountain features.
- While 산 is the standard word used today, the native Korean word 뫼 is considered archaic and is now primarily found in poetry or older literature.
Examples in context
- 톰은 그 산을 올라갔다.Tom climbed the mountain.This sentence is useful for describing the action of climbing the 산.Tatoeba #9689688 by ST_Young, translation #7865745 by Hybrid
- 저 산은 높이가 약 3천 미터다.That mountain is about three thousand meters high.This sentence is useful for describing the height of the 산.Tatoeba #8549581 by okja, translation #68365 by CK
- 저 산에 오르려면 좋은 장비가 있어야 돼.You need good equipment to climb that mountain.This sentence is useful for discussing the equipment needed to climb the 산.Tatoeba #4753114 by kimhkng, translation #68369 by CM
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are planning a hiking trip.
- 서연 Seo-yeon현우 씨, 이번 주말에 같이 산에 갈래요?hyeon-u ssi, i-beon ju-mal-e gat-i san-e gal-lae-yo?Hyunwoo, do you want to go to the mountain together this weekend?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo좋아요, 어느 산으로 갈까요?jo-a-yo, eo-neu san-eu-ro gal-kka-yo?Sounds good, which mountain shall we go to?
- 서연 Seo-yeon가까운 산이 좋을 것 같아요.ga-kka-un san-i jo-eul geot gat-a-yo.I think a nearby mountain would be good.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo네, 그럼 제가 코스를 찾아볼게요.ne, geu-reom je-ga ko-seu-reul cha-ja-bol-ge-yo.Okay, then I will look up the course.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mountain” translations and entries 산, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 메, 뫼, 산, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
