동물원
dongmurwon[ˈto̞(ː)ŋmuɾwʌ̹n]
The English word 'zoo' is translated into Korean as 동물원 (dongmurwon).
동물원 is a noun used to refer to a park or institution where live animals are exhibited.
Meaning: park where live animals are exhibited (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 동물, meaning 'animal' and 원, meaning 'garden', 'park' or 'institution'.
How do you pronounce it?
dongmurwon
Did you know?
- In Korea, the term 동물원 can sometimes be used colloquially to describe a chaotic or noisy place full of people.
- The word 동물 (animal) is actually a compound of 동 (move) and 물 (thing), literally translating to 'moving thing'.
- The character 원 in 동물원 is the same one used in 병원, meaning 'hospital', and 학원, meaning 'private academy'.
Examples in context
- 톰은 동물원에서 사자를 봤다.Tom saw a lion at the zoo.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of 동물원 with a specific animal, 사자.Tatoeba #11110787 by intertime, translation #6982716 by aln
- 그 작은 소년은 동물원에 있다.The little boy is at the zoo.This sentence is useful for describing someone's location at 동물원.Tatoeba #11105197 by intertime, translation #682523 by Source_VOA
- 우리는 보통 수요일에 동물원에 갔다.We usually went to the zoo on Wednesday.This sentence is useful for describing a habitual action involving 동물원.Tatoeba #9689548 by ST_Young, translation #1826206 by Amastan
- 저는 동물원에 가 보고 싶어요.I want to go to the zoo.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Minji and Minjun are talking about their weekend plans.
- 민지 Min-ji이번 주말에 동물원에 갈까요?ibeun juimare dongmulwone gal-kayo?Shall we go to the zoo this weekend?
- 민준 Min-jun좋아요. 동물원에서 만나요.joayo. dongmulwoneseo mannayo.Sounds good. Let's meet at the zoo.
- 민지 Min-ji민준 씨는 동물을 좋아해요?Minjun ssineun dongmureul joahae-yo?Minjun, do you like animals?
- 민준 Min-jun네, 정말 좋아해요.ne, jeongmal joahae-yo.Yes, I really like them.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “zoo” translations and entries 동물원, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
