태국
Taeguk[tʰɛɡuk̚]
Thailand is 태국 (Taeguk) in Korean. Wiktionary also lists 타이 (Tai).
Meaning: country in Southeast Asia (name)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 태국 | Taeguk | [tʰɛɡuk̚] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [tʰe̞ɡuk̚] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 타이 | Tai | [tʰa̠i] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
Both 태국 and 타이 are used to refer to the country in Southeast Asia. 태국 is the standard and most common way to name the country.
Which one should you use?
태국 is the standard, most common term used in Korean. 타이 is another way to refer to the country.
How do you pronounce it?
Taeguk
Did you know?
- Korean speakers often refer to the Thai royal family using extremely formal honorifics that exceed the standard polite speech used for other foreign leaders.
- The word 태국 shares its first character with 태극기, the South Korean national flag. Both words use the character for 'great' or 'exalted'.
- In Korean, the character 태 in 태국 translates to 'great' and 국 translates to 'country', making the name literally mean 'Great Country'.
Examples in context
- 대만은 태국이 아니야.Taiwan is not Thailand.This sentence is useful for showing a negative comparison involving 태국.Tatoeba #13170817 by atitarev, translation #6013131 by mailohilohi
- 태국 음식이 정말 맛있어요.Thai food is really delicious.
- 오늘 밤에 타이 음식 먹을래?Do you want to eat Thai food tonight?
- 태국은 정말 아름다운 나라예요.Taegug-eun jeongmal areumdaun narayeyo.Thailand is a truly beautiful country.
- 이번 휴가 때 태국에 가요.Ibeon hyuga ttae Taegug-e gayo.I am going to Thailand this vacation.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Seoyeon and Dohyun are talking about their next vacation.
- 서연 Seo-yeon도현 씨, 이번 휴가 때 어디 가요?Dohyun ssi, ibeon hyuga ttae eodi gayo?Dohyun, where are you going for this vacation?
- 도현 Do-hyeon저는 태국에 갈 계획이에요.Jeoneun Taeguge gal gyehoegieyo.I am planning to go to Thailand.
- 서연 Seo-yeon와, 정말 좋겠네요!Wa, jeongmal joketneyo!Wow, that sounds great!
- 도현 Do-hyeon서연 씨도 같이 가실래요?Seoyeon ssi-do gachi gasillaeyo?Seoyeon, do you want to come along?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thailand” translations and entries 태국, 타이, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
