명사
myeongsa[mjʌ̹ŋsʰa̠]
The English phrase "noun" is translated into Korean as 명사 (myeongsa).
The term 명사 refers to a noun. In Korean, you can show respect by attaching the honorific suffix -님 to the end of a noun. Additionally, the title 씨 is used after a person's name as a polite way to address them. Note that the standard Korean language is based on the Seoul dialect, known as 서울말, while the Busan dialect is referred to as 부산 사투리.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 명사 is a compound of 명, meaning 'name' and 사, meaning 'word' or 'thing'.
Which one should you use?
In Korean grammar terminology, 명사 (noun) is the linguistic opposite of 동사 (verb).
Did you know?
- In Korean, some nouns act as 'honorific nouns' where the word itself changes entirely to show respect, such as using 진지 instead of 밥 for 'meal'.
- The term 명사 can also be pronounced the same way to mean a 'famous person' or a 'distinguished scholar' when written with different Hanja. This creates a homonym that has nothing to do with grammar.
- Because Korean is an agglutinative language, a 명사 can be turned into a verb simply by adding -하다 to certain nouns, effectively blurring the line between the two categories.
Examples in context
- 선생님Teacher
- 김지현씨Mr./Ms. Kim Jihyun
- 그 선생님That teacher
- 사랑Love
- 가족Family
- 식당Restaurant
- 친구Friend
- 책Book
- 물Water
- 집House
- 고양이Cat
- 전화Telephone
- 명사를 하나 적으세요.myeongsareul hana jeogeuseyo.Please write down one noun.
- 그 문장에 명사가 없어요.geu munjange myeongsaga eopseoyo.There is no noun in that sentence.
Example conversation
Minjun and Subin are studying grammar together.
- 민준 Min-jun수빈 씨, 이 단어의 품사가 뭐예요?Subin ssi, i daneoui pumsaga mwo-yeyo?Subin, what is the part of speech for this word?
- 수빈 Su-bin그 단어는 명사예요, 민준 씨.geu daneoneun myeongsa-yeyo, Minjun ssi.That word is a noun, Minjun.
- 민준 Min-jun아, 그렇군요. 감사합니다.a, geureokunyo. gamsahamnida.Ah, I see. Thank you.
- 수빈 Su-bin아니에요. 같이 계속 공부해요.anieyo. gachi gyesok gongbuhaeyo.You're welcome. Let's keep studying together.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 명사, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 명사, CC BY-SA 4.0.
