How to Say "Orphan" in Korean

고아

goa[ko̞a̠]

The Korean word for "orphan" is 고아 (goa).

고아 is a noun used to describe a person whose parent or parents have died.

Meaning: person whose (parent or) parents have died (noun)

How do you pronounce it?

The romanization is goa.

Korean has a specific term 사회적 고아 for 'social orphans', referring to children whose parents are still alive but unable or unwilling to care for them.
In modern Korean media, sometimes the term 홀로 남겨진 아이 (a child left alone) is preferred over 고아 to sound more empathetic and less clinical.
The Hanja character 孤 (alone) is also the root for the word 고독 (go-dok), which means 'solitude' or 'loneliness' in Korean.

톰은 고아야.
Tom is an orphan.
This sentence is useful for demonstrating how to use 고아 to identify someone's status.
Tatoeba #8368429 by Eunhee, translation #1868229 by CK
그는 고아로 자랐어요.
geuneun goaro jarasseoyo.
He grew up as an orphan.
고아를 위한 복지가 필요해요.
goareul wihan bokjiga piryohaeyo.
Welfare for orphans is necessary.

Ji-hun and Seo-yeon are talking about a movie they just watched.

지훈 Ji-hun

영화 속 주인공이 고아라서 너무 슬펐어.
yeonghwa sok juingongi goaraseo neomu seulpeosseo.
It was so sad because the protagonist in the movie was an orphan.
서연 Seo-yeon

맞아, 정말 마음이 아픈 이야기였어.
maja, jeongmal maeumi apeun iyagieosseo.
Right, it was a really heartbreaking story.
지훈 Ji-hun

나중에 주인공이 가족을 찾아서 다행이야.
najunge juingongi gajogeul chajaseo dahaeng-iya.
I'm glad the protagonist found his family later.
서연 Seo-yeon

응, 그래서 마지막엔 감동적이었어.
eung, geuraeseo majimag-en gamdongjeogieosseo.
Yes, that's why it was touching at the end.

Sources

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