예쁜 여자
yeppeun yeoja
The phrase "pretty girl" in Korean is 예쁜 여자 (yeppeun yeoja).
This phrase is used to describe a female person who is physically attractive.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective 예쁜 (yeppeun), meaning "pretty" and the noun 여자 (yeoja), meaning "woman" or "female".
Which one should you use?
While 여자 (yeoja) literally means "woman", it is the standard way to refer to a female person of various ages, including a "girl", depending on the context.
How do you pronounce it?
yeppeun yeoja
Did you know?
- Korean has a specific slang term 얼짱 (eol-jjang), meaning 'best face', which evolved from internet culture to describe people who are exceptionally pretty.
- The phrase 예쁜 여자 is often avoided when speaking directly to a superior to avoid sounding like you are judging their appearance, which can be seen as impolite.
- The word 여자 (woman) is formed from the characters for 'female' and 'offspring'.
Examples in context
- 그는 예쁜 여자와 결혼했다.He married a pretty girl.This sentence shows how to use 예쁜 여자 to describe someone a person married.Tatoeba #11105667 by intertime, translation #289596 by CK
- 저기 예쁜 여자가 있어요.jeogi yeppeun yeojaga isseoyo.There is a pretty girl over there.
- 그는 예쁜 여자를 좋아해요.geuneun yeppeun yeojareul joahaeyo.He likes pretty girls.
Example conversation
Minji and Jihun are looking at a photo.
- 민지 Min-ji이 사진 속의 예쁜 여자는 누구예요?i sajin sogui yeppeun yeojaneun nuguyeyo?Who is the pretty girl in this photo?
- 지훈 Ji-hun제 친척 동생이에요.je chincheok dongsaengieyo.She is my younger relative.
- 민지 Min-ji정말 예쁘게 생겼네요.jeongmal yeppeuge saenggyeotneyo.She looks really pretty.
- 지훈 Ji-hun칭찬해 줘서 고마워요, 민지 씨.chingchanhae jwoseo gomawoyo, Minji ssi.Thank you for the compliment, Minji.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 여자, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
