원
won[wʌ̹n]
The Korean phrase for the English word 'won' is 원.
원 refers to the currency of Korea. The official symbol used for this currency is ₩. For example, 10,000 won is often referred to as 만원 and 1,000,000 won is 백만원.
Meaning: currency of Korea (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
won
Did you know?
- When talking about prices, Koreans often group 원 by units of 10,000, called 만, making large numbers sound completely different from the English way of counting by thousands.
- The word 원 is a linguistic relative of the Japanese 'yen' and the Chinese 'yuan'. All three words originate from the same Chinese character meaning 'circle', which referred to the shape of old coins.
- Because 원 is a homonym, it can also mean 'circle', 'garden' or 'institution' depending on the Chinese character it represents.
Examples in context
- 이 제품은 20,000원입니다.This product is 20,000 won.
- 달러 환율은 1,100원입니다.The dollar exchange rate is 1,100 won.
- 계좌로 50,000원을 이체하겠습니다.I will transfer 50,000 won to the account.
- 이거 20,000원이에요.This is 20,000 won.
- 술값이 얼마야? – 50,000원이야.How much is the alcohol? – It's 50,000 won.
- 이 티켓 한 장 얼마야? – 10,000원이야.How much is one ticket? – It's 10,000 won.
- 이 커피는 천 원이에요.i keopi-neun cheon won-ieyo.This coffee is one thousand won.
- 오백 원만 더 주세요.o-baek won-man deo juseyo.Please give me just five hundred won more.
- 만 원짜리 지폐가 있어요.man won-jjari jipye-ga isseoyo.I have a ten thousand won bill.
Example conversation
Minji and Hyunwoo are checking the price of a snack at a convenience store.
- 민지 Min-ji이 과자는 얼마예요?i gwaja-neun eolmayeyo?How much is this snack?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo이천 원이에요.icheon won-ieyo.It is two thousand won.
- 민지 Min-ji현우 씨, 돈 있어요?Hyunwoo-ssi, don isseoyo?Hyunwoo, do you have money?
- 현우 Hyeon-woo네, 여기 있어요.ne, yeogi isseoyo.Yes, here it is.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “won” translations and entries 원, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 원, CC BY-SA 4.0.
