스쿨버스
seukulbeoseu[sʰɯkʰuɭbʌ̹sʰɯ]
In Korean, school bus can be expressed as 스쿨버스 (seukulbeoseu). Wiktionary also lists 통학 버스 (tonghak beoseu) and 학교 버스 (hakgyo beoseu).
Meaning: transport for schoolchildren (noun)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 스쿨버스 | seukulbeoseu | [sʰɯkʰuɭbʌ̹sʰɯ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 통학 버스 | tonghak beoseu | |
| 학교 버스 | hakgyo beoseu |
The term refers to transport used by schoolchildren.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 통학 버스 is composed of 통학, which means commuting to school and 버스, which means bus.
Which one should you use?
통학 버스 is a descriptive term used to specify a bus intended for the purpose of students commuting to school. 학교 버스 is a very common, literal combination of the words for school and bus. 스쿨버스 is a direct loanword from English used frequently in casual conversation or contexts influenced by Western terminology.
How do you pronounce it?
seukulbeoseu
Did you know?
- The character 校 in 학교 originally referred to a building where weapons were corrected or straightened before it became the word for 'school'.
- In South Korea, school buses are often bright yellow, but unlike the iconic American style, they frequently use small mid-sized buses or vans to navigate narrow city alleys.
- When discussing school transport, you might encounter the term 학원차 (academy car). Because many Korean students attend private after-school academies called 학원, the vehicles are often called 'academy cars' rather than 'school buses'.
Examples in context
- 스쿨버스가 노란색이에요.seukulbeoseuga nollansaegieyo.The school bus is yellow.
- 스쿨버스가 곧 도착해요.seukulbeoseuga got dochak-haeyo.The school bus is arriving soon.
- 아이들이 스쿨버스에 타고 있어요.aideuri seukulbeoseue tago isseoyo.The children are riding the school bus.
Example conversation
Two students are waiting at the bus stop.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo서연아, 스쿨버스가 왜 안 오지?Seoyeona, seukulbeoseuga wae an oji?Seoyeon, why isn't the school bus coming?
- 서연 Seo-yeon차가 많이 밀리는 것 같아.chaga mani milrineun geot gata.I think there is a lot of traffic.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo아, 저기 스쿨버스가 보여!a, jeogi seukulbeoseuga boyeo!Ah, I see the school bus over there!
- 서연 Seo-yeon빨리 가자, 현우야.ppalli gaja, Hyeon-u-ya.Let's go quickly, Hyeon-u.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “school bus” translations and entries 스쿨버스, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 버스, 스쿨버스, 학교, CC BY-SA 4.0.
