56 Beautiful Korean Words
Korean is a great language—just listen to the cadence and flow of your favorite K-Pop lyrics!
Of course, there are many Korean words that are especially lyrical or have beautiful meanings.
See how to say “beautiful” in Korean in all its levels of intensity and learn some uniquely Korean words that don’t exist as single words in the English language. Finally, discover some gorgeous words categorized by theme.
Learn some of the most beautiful Korean words to give your conversations an aesthetic pop.
Contents
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How to Say “Beautiful” in Korean
Before we move on to words that are beautiful, first we need to learn how to describe them. Here are all the different ways to say “beautiful” in Korean, for many different situations and various degrees of beauty.
| Korean | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 미남 | minam | Describes a beautiful man |
| 미녀 | minyeo | Describes a beautiful woman |
| 아름다움 | areumdawum | Beauty |
| 시대를 초월한 아름다움 | miumbatji anneun | timelessly beauty |
| 아름다운 | areumdaun | Beautiful |
| 예쁜 | yeppeun | Pretty |
| 고운 | goun | Elegant |
| 세련된 | seryeondoen | Sophisticated |
| 화려한 | hwaryeohan | Bright and splendid, visually impressive |
| 빛나는 | binnaneun | Shining |
| 우아한 | uahan | Graceful |
| 눈부신 | nunbusin | Dazzling or blindingly beautiful |
| 아찔한 | ajjilhan | Breathtaking |
| 정열적인 | jeongyeoljeogin | Passionately beautiful |
| 꽃다운 | kkotdaun | As beautiful as a flower |
| 돋보이는 | dotboineun | Standing out in terms of beauty |
| 황홀한 | hwangholhan | Enchantingly beautiful |
| 화려한 | hwaryeohan | Splendid |
| 근사한 | geunsahan | Exquisite |
| 눈에 띄는 | nune ttuineun | Eye-catching |
| 미모가 넘치는 | mimoga neomchineun | Overflowing with beauty (used to compliment someone's looks) |
| 무척이나 아름다운 | mucheogina areumdaun | Extremely beautiful |
Beautiful Korean Words
Let’s move on to some of my favorite Korean words, which either have beautiful meanings or sound pleasing… or often both!
Nature Words
| Korean | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 푸른 | pureun | Blue or green, representing the colors of nature |
| 봄날 | bomnal | Spring day |
| 물맑은 | mulmareun | Clear water |
| 푸릇푸릇 | pureutpureut | Fresh and lively, like new growth |
| 새소리 | saesori | Birdsong |
| 솔숲 | solsup | Pine forest |
| 일몰 | ilmol | Sunset |
| 꽃잎 | kkotip | Flower petal |
| 별똥별 | byeolttongbyeol | Shooting star |
| 빗소리 | bitsori | Sound of rain |
| 산림욕 | sanrimyok | Forest bathing |
Feelings
| Korean | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 행복 | haengbok | Happiness |
| 기쁨 | gippeum | Joy |
| 그리움 | geurium | Longing |
| 다정다감 | dajeongdakam | Affability |
| 평화로움 | pyeonghwaroum | Serenity |
| 사랑 | sarang | Love |
| 위로 | wiro | Comfort |
| 고마움 | gomaoum | Gratitude |
| 감사 | gamsa | Thankfulness |
| 희망 | himang | Hope |
| 영감 | yeongam | Inspiration |
| 설렘 | seollem | Excitement or a fluttering feeling |
| 축복 | chukbok | Blessing |
| 감동적인 | gamdongjeogin | Deeply moved |
| 신비로운 | sinbiroun | Mysterious |
Untranslatable Korean Words
Some Korean words don’t exist in English, but really should. I mean, why don’t we have a word to describe that fluttery feeling of experiencing something touching or moving?
Korean does, though, along with a number of other beautiful words that can’t be easily translated. Here are a few of my favorites:
- 품격 (pumgyeok) — Used to describe a person’s character, dignity, grace or nobility. It can also refer to the style or elegance of something, like a place or object.
- 정 (jeong) — A deep emotional connection that goes beyond mere affection and signifies a strong emotional bond and sense of connection.
- 눈치 (nunchi) — The ability to understand someone’s feelings or mood without them expressing it directly, similar in meaning to “emotional intelligence” in English.
- 매력 (maeryeok) — A combination of charm, appeal and attractiveness.
- 심쿵 (simkung) — The fluttery feeling or rapid heartbeat experienced in response to something touching or moving.
- 꿈틀꿈틀 (kkumteulkkumteul) — The feeling of something continuously twisting or turning in a cute and charming way. Think of a worm wiggling on the ground or a feeling of nervousness making you fidget!
- 찰떡 (chaldeok) — A perfect match or pairing, often used to describe people who complement each other well.
- 햇살 가득 (haessal gadeuk) — Describes a scene or place filled with abundant sunlight, creating a warm and cheerful atmosphere.
The best way to find more beautiful Korean words is to use authentic Korean content and media to learn. For instance, you can find many new vocabulary words in context through the FluentU program.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
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What a beautiful end to a list of beautiful Korean words!
And One More Thing...
If you enjoyed this post, you're already halfway to having the time of your life learning Korean with FluentU!
FluentU makes it possible to learn with K-pop videos, funny commercials, entertaining web series and more. Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:
FluentU really takes the grunt work out of learning languages, leaving you with nothing but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It's already hand-picked the best videos for you (which are organized by level and topic), so all you have to do is simply choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started.
Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.
Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.
You can use FluentU’s unique Quiz Mode to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions.
FluentU keeps track of what you're learning, and tells you exactly when it's time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.
Review sessions use video context to help embed the words in your memory.
Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
