주인
ju'in[t͡ɕuin]
In Korean, the English phrase "owner" is expressed as 주인 (ju'in). Wiktionary also lists 소유자 (soyuja).
Meaning: one who owns (noun)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 주인 | ju'in | [t͡ɕuin] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 소유자 | soyuja | [ˈsʰo̞(ː)jud͡ʑa̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
The term 주인 is the standard, everyday word for an owner. It can refer to a person who owns property, a master of a house or pet or even the host of a party or household. For more technical or formal situations, such as legal or official contexts, the term 소유자 is used.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 소유자 is composed of 소유, meaning ownership and the suffix 자, which means person.
Which one should you use?
주인 is the common, standard word used in most daily situations. In contrast, 소유자 is a more formal and technical term specifically used in legal or official contexts. If you are referring to a business owner or a company executive, you may also use the formal term 사장님.
How do you pronounce it?
ju'in
Did you know?
- In Korean, the relationship between a pet and its 주인 is deeply ingrained in the language, as the word implies a 'master' role that is more authoritative than the English 'pet owner'.
- The term 사장님 is often used to address the owner of small shops or taxis, even if the speaker does not know them. It functions as a polite, generic title for any business owner.
- The word 주인 literally translates to 'chief person' because the character 주 means 'lord' or 'master'.
Examples in context
- 나는 이 회사의 주인이다.I'm the owner of this company.This sentence is useful for stating that you are the 주인 of a company.Tatoeba #11110674 by intertime, translation #6260477 by CK
- 우리는 그 수상한 짐의 주인을 찾을 수 없다.We can't find the owner of that suspicious luggage.This sentence shows how to use 주인 when referring to the owner of an object like luggage.
- 보석 가게 사장님Owner of a jewelry store
- 주택 주인Owner of a house
- 카페 사장Owner of a café
- 친구 차 주인Friend's car owner
- 저희 부동산의 주인에게 전화를 걸고 싶어요.I would like to call the owner of our real estate agency.
- 요즘 카페 사장님이 어떻게 지내세요?How has the café owner been lately?
- 차 주인한테 우리가 계획을 말해야 할 것 같아.I think we should discuss the plan with the car owner.
- 이 카페의 주인은 정말 친절해요.i kaepeui juin-eun jeongmal chinjeol-haeyo.The owner of this cafe is very kind.
Example conversation
Subin and Minjun are at a cafe.
- 수빈 Su-bin여기 주인분 어디 계세요?yeogi juinbun eodi gyeseyo?Where is the owner of this place?
- 민준 Min-jun지금 잠시 외출 중이시래요.jigeum jamsi oechul jungisiraeyo.I heard they stepped out for a moment.
- 수빈 Su-bin주인분께 전해줄 물건이 있어요.juinbunkke jeonhaejul mulgeoni isseoyo.I have something to give to the owner.
- 민준 Min-jun제가 대신 받아 드릴게요.jega daesin bada deurilgeyo.I will take it for them.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “owner” translations and entries 주인, 소유자, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 소유자, 주인, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
