행성
haengseong[hɛŋsʰʌ̹ŋ]
The English word 'planet' is 행성 (haengseong) in Korean. Wiktionary also lists 위성 (wiseong).
Meaning: similar body in orbit around a star (noun)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 행성 | haengseong | [hɛŋsʰʌ̹ŋ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [he̞ŋsʰʌ̹ŋ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 위성 | wiseong | [ɥisʰʌ̹ŋ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [ysʰʌ̹ŋ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
행성 is used to refer to a celestial body that orbits a star.
Which one should you use?
행성 refers specifically to a planet orbiting a star, whereas 위성 refers to a satellite or a moon that orbits a planet.
How do you pronounce it?
haengseong
Did you know?
- The word 행성 literally means a 'traveling star', which reflects an ancient view of planets as wandering bodies moving through the heavens.
- The word for star, 별, is a native Korean word, but 행성 is a Sino-Korean word. This shows a common pattern where basic nature words are native and scientific terms are derived from Chinese characters.
- The character 星 used in 행성 is shared with the word for 'star' in Japanese 星 (hoshi) and Chinese 星 (xīng), showing a shared East Asian linguistic root for celestial bodies.
Examples in context
- 지구는 하나의 행성입니다.Earth is a planet.This sentence is useful for identifying Earth as a planet using 행성.Tatoeba #1197746 by Brian255, translation #681736 by Source_VOA
- 행성 탐사는 과학의 중요한 부분입니다.Exploring planets is an essential part of science.
- 지구는 가장 아름다운 별이에요.Earth is the most beautiful planet.
- 화성은 붉은 행성입니다.Hwaseong-eun bulgeun haengseong-imnida.Mars is a red planet.
Example conversation
Two people are looking at the night sky through a telescope.
- 도현 Do-hyeon저 행성이 보이나요?Jeo haengseong-i boinayo?Do you see that planet?
- 서연 Seo-yeon네, 정말 아름다워요.Ne, jeongmal areumdawoyo.Yes, it is truly beautiful.
- 도현 Do-hyeon서연 씨, 저게 목성이에요.Seoyeon-ssi, jeoge Mokseong-ieyo.Seoyeon, that is Jupiter.
- 서연 Seo-yeon정말 거대한 행성이네요.Jeongmal geodaehan haengseong-ineyo.It is a truly giant planet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “planet” translations and entries 행성, 위성, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 위성, 행성, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
