씨앗
ssiat[ɕ͈ia̠t̚]
The English word "seed" is translated into Korean as 씨앗 (ssiat).
In an agricultural context, 씨앗 refers to any propagative portion of a plant that can be sown. You may use 새싹 if you are specifically referring to a sprout or a seedling.
Meaning: agriculture: any propagative portion of a plant which may be sown (noun)
Which one should you use?
종자 is a formal way to say seed in Korean.
How do you pronounce it?
ssiat
Did you know?
- The phrase 씨가 마르다, which literally means 'the seeds have dried up', is a common idiom meaning that a species or a family line has become completely extinct.
- While 씨앗 is the common word for a seed, the term 씨 on its own is often used to mean 'lineage' or 'bloodline' in a family context.
- The word 씨앗 first appeared in written records in the 1748 text Dongmun yuhae, marking it as a term of Early Modern Korean.
Examples in context
- 저는 씨앗으로 식물을 키우려고 합니다.I want to grow plants from seeds.
- 이 식물의 종자를 구매하고 싶어요.I want to buy seeds of this plant.
- 오늘은 꽃 씨를 심을 거예요.Today, I will plant flower seeds.
- 우리집 정원에 채소 씨앗을 심을 거야!I'm going to plant vegetable seeds in my garden!
- 이 씨앗을 심어야 해요.i ssiat-eul sim-eo-ya hae-yo.I must plant this seed.
- 꽃 씨앗을 샀어요.kkot ssiat-eul sass-eo-yo.I bought flower seeds.
- 씨앗이 아주 작아요.ssiat-i a-ju jag-a-yo.The seed is very small.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are preparing to plant a garden.
- 지은 Ji-eun현우 씨, 씨앗이 어디에 있어요?Hyeon-u ssi, ssiat-i eo-di-e iss-eo-yo?Hyun-woo, where are the seeds?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo상자 안에 씨앗이 있어요.Sang-ja an-e ssiat-i iss-eo-yo.The seeds are in the box.
- 지은 Ji-eun이 씨앗은 언제 심을까요?I ssiat-eun eon-je sim-eul-kka-yo?When shall we plant these seeds?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo지금 바로 심으러 가요.Ji-geum ba-ro sim-eu-reo ga-yo.Let's go plant them right now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 씨앗, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 씨앗, CC BY-SA 4.0.
