Korean

[ kuh-ree-uhn, kaw-, koh- ]

adjective
  1. of or relating toKorea, its inhabitants, or their language.

noun
  1. a native or inhabitant of South Korea or North Korea.

  2. the language of South Korea or North Korea. Abbreviation: Kor

Origin of Korean

1
First recorded in 1605–15; Kore(a) + -an

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Korean in a sentence

  • All Koreans pay great honour to their dead parents, and tablets to their memory are placed in some room set apart for the purpose.

    Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. Pike
  • He was able to make peace with the Chinese emperor, and under his rule the Koreans enjoyed freedom from war and oppression.

    Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. Pike
  • The Koreans call this noise kang-siong, and it seems almost deafening to one unused to it.

    Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. Pike
  • There he was attacked by a combined force of Chinese and Koreans.

    Japan | Various
  • The Koreans, however, declined to accept such a proposition.

    Japan | Various

British Dictionary definitions for Korean

Korean

/ (kəˈriːən) /


adjective
  1. of or relating to Korea, its people, or their language

noun
  1. a native or inhabitant of Korea

  2. the official language of North and South Korea, considered by some scholars to be part of the Altaic family of languages

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012