악몽
angmong[a̠ŋmo̞ŋ]
The Korean word for nightmare is 악몽 (angmong).
악몽 is the most common and general term used to refer to a nightmare.
Meaning: dream (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
악몽 is a noun that does not change its form to indicate whether a nightmare is singular or plural. When expressing that you dreamed a nightmare, you use the verb 꾸다 (to dream) with the object marker. In Korean, you do not 'have' a nightmare, but rather you 'dream' one (악몽을 꾸다).
How do you pronounce it?
angmong
Did you know?
- In traditional Korean dream interpretation, some 'nightmares' are actually seen as 'reverse dreams' (역몽) that predict good luck.
- While 악몽 is a nightmare, the word 개꿈 refers to a 'dog dream' or a meaningless dream that should be ignored.
- In Korean, the word for dream, 꿈, is a native Korean word, but the word for nightmare, 악몽, is a Sino-Korean word derived from Chinese characters.
Examples in context
- 그냥 악몽이었어.It was only a nightmare.This example is useful for showing how to say that something was only a 악몽.Tatoeba #4568779 by imjcooper, translation #1585199 by Gulliver
- 저는 어젯밤 악몽을 꿨어요.I had a nightmare last night.
- 어젯밤에 정말 무서운 악몽을 꿨어.eojetbam-e jeongmal museoun angmong-eul kkwosseo.I had a really scary nightmare last night.
- 그 악몽 때문에 잠을 설쳤어.geu angmong ttaemun-e jam-eul seol-cheosseo.I couldn't sleep well because of that nightmare.
Example conversation
Dohyun and Subin are talking at a cafe in the morning.
- 도현 Do-hyeon수빈아, 어제 잘 잤어?Subin-a, eoje jal jasseo?Subin, did you sleep well yesterday?
- 수빈 Su-bin아니, 너무 무서운 악몽을 꿨어.Ani, neomu museoun angmong-eul kkwosseo.No, I had a very scary nightmare.
- 도현 Do-hyeon많이 힘들었겠다. 무슨 꿈이었어?mani himdeureotgetda. museun kkum-ieosseo?That must have been hard. What kind of dream was it?
- 수빈 Su-bin말하기 좀 무서운 악몽이야.malhagi jom museoun angmong-iya.It's a nightmare that is a bit scary to talk about.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nightmare” translations and entries 악몽, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
