한국어

Korean

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 한국(韓國) (Han'guk, “Korea”) + 어(語) (-eo, “language”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ˈha̠(ː)nɡuɡʌ̹]
• Phonetic hangul: [한(ː)구거]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	han'gugeo
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	hangug'eo
McCune–Reischauer?	han'gugŏ
Yale Romanization?	hānkwuk.e

Noun

South Korean Standard Language	한국어(韓國語) (Han'gugeo)
North Korean Standard Language	조선어(朝鮮語) (Joseoneo)

한국어 • (han'gugeo) (hanja 韓國語)

2. (South Korea) the Korean language

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:한국어

Usage notes

Of the many Korean names for the Korean language, this is the most formal in the Republic of Korea (South Korea). 한국말 (han'gungmal) is more commonly used, but it denotes exclusively the spoken language (말 (mal, “speech”)). In North Korea, 조선말 (joseonmal) is more common.

Further reading

• 한국어 in dictionaries at daum.net