주
ju[t͡ɕu]
The Korean word for the political entity 'state' is 주 (ju).
In the context of political entities, 주 specifically refers to sub-national administrative divisions like states in the US or provinces in certain contexts, rather than a sovereign nation-state.
Meaning: political entity (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
ju
Did you know?
- The character 州 used in 주 originally depicted a river island. Over time, this evolved to describe settlements near rivers and eventually became the term for a 'state' or 'province'.
- In Korean, 주 is used to translate the concept of 'state' as a division, but to talk about a 'state of mind' or 'state of being', a completely different word 상태 is used.
- Korean uses the word 주 to refer to the 'states' of other countries, but it does not use this word to describe its own internal provinces, which are called 도.
Examples in context
- 메릴랜드주.State of Maryland.This example shows how to use 주 when referring to the State of Maryland.
- 저희 회사의 비즈니스 상태는 어떠한가요?What is the state of our company's business?
- 그 주는 아주 넓습니다.Geu juneun aju neolbeumnida.That state is very large.
Example conversation
Subin and Hyunwoo are talking about a trip to the US.
- 수빈 Su-bin현우 씨는 어느 주에 가고 싶어요?hyeonu ssineun eoneu jue gago sipeoyo?Hyunwoo, which state do you want to visit?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo저는 캘리포니아주에 가보고 싶어요.jeoneun kaelliponiajue gabogo sipeoyo.I want to try visiting the state of California.
- 수빈 Su-bin거기는 정말 유명한 주죠.geogineun jeongmal yumyeonghan jujo.That is a very famous state.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo네, 그래서 꼭 가보고 싶어요.ne, geuraeseo kkok gabogo sipeoyo.Yes, that's why I really want to go.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 주, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 주, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
