Korean

noun

Ko·​re·​an kə-ˈrē-ən How to pronounce Korean (audio)
 especially Southern  (ˌ)kō-
1
: a native or inhabitant of Korea
2
: the language of the Korean people
Korean adjective

Examples of Korean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Giants signed Jung Hoo Lee this winter in hopes of stabilizing the top of their order, and so far in camp, the former Korean League has done just that. Mercury News Staff and Wire Reports, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 The Korean Medical Association — the nation’s largest lobby group for physicians — said about 30,000 people are at the march. Jon Herskovitz, Bloomberg.com, 3 Mar. 2024 In the decades after the Korean War, South Korea exported construction workers to the Middle East and nurses and miners to Germany. Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 Starting in the seventh century, as a centralized Japanese state began to take shape, Buddhist monks from the Korean Peninsula and present-day China brought healing practices to Japan. Alessandro Poletto, The Conversation, 1 Mar. 2024 Police raided the offices of the Korean Medical Association and Seoul Medical Association, after the health ministry filed a complaint against their leaders. Anthony Kuhn, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 The loaded Korean Fire Fries, though, were a unanimous No. 1 (photographer Phil Didion also raved about these). David Wysong, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024 Kwon and another South Korean were arrested at Montenegro’s Podgorica Airport on March 23 last year while trying to depart for Dubai using fake Costa Rican passports. Predrag Milic, Quartz, 22 Feb. 2024 Robert enrolled at Morehouse College in Atlanta but left to join the Air Force during the Korean War. Clay Risen, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Korean.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Korean was in 1600

Dictionary Entries Near Korean

Cite this Entry

“Korean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Korean. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Korean

noun
Ko·​re·​an kə-ˈrē-ən How to pronounce Korean (audio)
1
: a person born or living in Korea
2
: the language of the Korean people
Korean adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on Korean

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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