선생님
seonsaengnim[sʰʌ̹nsʰɛŋnim]honorific
The Korean word for teacher is 선생님 (seonsaengnim). Wiktionary also lists 선생 (seonsaeng) and 교사 (gyosa).
Meaning: person who teaches (noun)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 선생님 | seonsaengnim | [sʰʌ̹nsʰɛŋnim] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [sʰʌ̹nsʰe̞ŋnim] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
honorific |
| 선생 | seonsaeng | [sʰʌ̹nsʰɛŋ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [sʰʌ̹nsʰe̞ŋ] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
|
| 교사 | gyosa | [ˈkjo(ː)sʰa̠] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
The term is used to refer to a person who teaches.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 선생 (seonsaeng) literally means 'one who was born first', combining the concepts of 'first/prior' (선) and 'birth/life' (생).
Which one should you use?
선생님 is the standard, polite way to address or refer to a teacher. In contrast, 선생 is more literary or used in specific older contexts. 교사 is used to refer to the occupation of teaching in a formal or administrative sense rather than as a way to address a person.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
선생님 is the most common and polite way to address a teacher in Korean. 교사 is a formal term used for the profession itself.
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix -님 is an honorific added to 선생 to show respect to the person being discussed.
How do you pronounce it?
seonsaengnim
Did you know?
- While 교사 is the standard word for a teacher's profession, it is a homonym with several other unrelated words, including one that means 'strangled to death' and another that means 'school building'.
- The word 선생님 is so respectful that it is often used as a polite way to address strangers or people you respect, even if they have never taught a class in their life.
- It is common for Korean students to continue calling their former teachers 선생님 for the rest of their lives, even after the students have become adults and professionals themselves.
Examples in context
- 우리 선생님 여기 오신다.Here comes our teacher.This sentence shows how to use 선생 when referring to a teacher arriving.Tatoeba #10585540 by ssuss32, translation #272782 by CK
- 톰은 아주 헌신적인 선생님이야.Tom is a very dedicated teacher.This sentence uses 선생 to describe a teacher's character.Tatoeba #8367134 by Eunhee, translation #8351208 by CK
- 잭슨씨는 우리의 과학 선생님이야.Mr. Jackson is our science teacher.This sentence uses 선생 to identify someone's role as a science teacher.Tatoeba #8363691 by Eunhee, translation #4529407 by CK
- 선생님, 안녕하세요?Hello, teacher?
- 오늘도 수고하셨어요, 선생님!You've worked hard today, teacher!
- 쌤, 지금 시간 괜찮으세요?Teacher, do you have time now?
- 46 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Min-jun and Ji-eun are talking about their favorite class.
- 민준 Min-jun지은 씨는 어떤 선생님을 제일 좋아해요?Ji-eun ssineun eotteon seonsaengnim-eul jeil joahae-yo?Ji-eun, which teacher do you like the most?
- 지은 Ji-eun저는 수학 선생님이 정말 좋아요.Jeoneun suhak seonsaengnim-i jeongmal joayo.I really like the math teacher.
- 민준 Min-jun그 선생님은 정말 친절하시죠.Geu seonsaengnim-eun jeongmal chinjeolhasijyo.That teacher is very kind, right?
- 지은 Ji-eun네, 정말 좋은 선생님이세요.Ne, jeongmal joeun seonsaengnim-iseyo.Yes, they are a really great teacher.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “teacher” translations and entries 선생님, 선생, 교사, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 교사, 선생, 선생님, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
