한 사람
han saram
The English phrase "one person" is translated into Korean as 한 사람 (han saram).
한 사람 is used to refer to a single human being.
Which one should you use?
You may also use 한 분 to express the same idea with higher levels of respect.
How do you pronounce it?
han saram
Did you know?
- In the 10th century, the word for 'person' was written using the Chinese characters 人米 in the 'Suhui gongdeokga' to represent the sounds of the native Korean word.
- The syllable 한 in 한 사람 is a homonym for several completely different words, including 'great', 'resentment', and even 'Korea'.
- The term 사람 has a linguistic sibling in the word 삶, which specifically means 'life' or 'living'.
Examples in context
- 저기요, 한 사람만 올 수 있어요?Excuse me, can only one person come?
- 나는 밥을 혼자 먹었어.I ate alone.
- 한 사람만 기다려요.han saramman gidaryeoyo.I am waiting for just one person.
- 거기에 한 사람 있어요.geogie han saram isseoyo.There is one person there.
Example conversation
Subin and Minjun are at a restaurant entrance.
- 수빈 Su-bin몇 분이세요?myeot buniseyo?How many people are in your party?
- 민준 Min-jun저희는 한 사람이에요.jeohineun han saramieyo.It is just one person.
- 수빈 Su-bin아, 네. 이쪽으로 오세요.a, ne. itjogeuro oseyo.Ah, okay. Please come this way.
- 민준 Min-jun감사합니다, 수빈 씨.gamsahamnida, Subin ssi.Thank you, Subin.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 사람, 한, CC BY-SA 4.0.
