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• Korean
  Korean

  adjective

  of or relating to Korea, its inhabitants, or their language.
• korean
  korean

  adjective

  of or relating to Korea, its people, or their language

Korean

American  

[kuh-ree-uhn, kaw-, koh-] / kəˈri ən, kɔ-, koʊ- /

adjective

1. of or relating to Korea, its inhabitants, or their language.

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noun

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

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

korean British  

/ kəˈriːən /

adjective

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

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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

Etymology

Origin of Korean

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

Compare meaning

How does korean compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Korean vs. Vietnam War

Example Sentences

Along with the classics, the shop also offers bagels imbued with ingredients like saffron, Korean gochujang and miso.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

Or they might recognize the Feng Shui Yundo culled from the nearby Korean Cultural Center.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

Tech companies have approached Korean memory chip maker SK Hynix with offers to invest in production lines and fund purchases manufacturing tools, Reuters reported Thursday.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

The last time a budget increase of this proportion was approved was in 1952 during the Korean War.

From Salon • May 8, 2026

“I don’t think I know a lot of their stories. But I do know they lived through the Korean War.”

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh