How To Say “United States” In Korean – Terms related to America

Learning how to say “United States” in Korean might be important, especially if you are from the beautiful country of the United States of America and visiting or living in South Korea. This country is a go-to for most people, especially for its key cities like New York City and Los Angeles.

After all, one of the first things that would be useful to learn is how to tell a Korean person where you’re from. You may be able to do this in English as well, but they would certainly be impressed if you belted out some Korean with your introduction! 

“America” in Korean – 미국 (miguk) 

You can say “America” in Korean as 미국 (miguk). A quick side note, the United States of America had previously aided South Korea during the Korean War before the Korean peninsula was divided into South and North Korea.

“United States” in Korean

The Korean word for “United States” or “United States of America” is the same as above, which is 미국 (miguk).

Sample Sentences:

요즘 미국의 정치 풍토는 어떻게 되고있습니까? (yojeum miguke jeongchi phungthoneun eoddeokhe dwegoissseumnigga?)

How is the political climate in the United States these days?

저는 미국에서 왔어요. (jeoneun migukeseo wasseoyo.)

I came from the United States.

미국에 가본적 있어요? 어디 가봤어요? (miguke kabonjeok isseoyo? eodi gabwasseoyo?)

Have you ever been to the States? Where did you visit?

난 미국에서 대학교를 다니고 싶어. (nan migukeseo daehakkyoreul danigo shipheo.)

I want to go to college in the United States.

“America” in Korean Pronunciation

The pronunciation of “America” in Korean is just as it is spelled: 미국.

The final ㄱ (g/k) sound is soft because it’s at the end of a syllable. This concept is further covered in our Korean Pronunciation article.

Here is how to say it:

미국 (miguk)

“American” in Korean

To say “American”, as in an American person, add 사람 (saram) after the Korean word 미국 (miguk). In other words 미국 (miguk)+ 사람 (saram) = 미국사람 (miguksaram).

Alternatively, you may also say 미국인 (migukin) to illustrate the same meaning, though this form is usually used when speaking of another person as opposed to when referring to yourself.

Essentially, whatever you wish to say in relation to the United States, whether it’s American politics, military, or something else, you may simply add the word 미국 (miguk) in front of the noun needed. It’s really that simple!

Sample Sentence:

내 제일 친한 친구는 미국인이야. (nae jeil chinhan chinguneun migukiniya.)

My best friend is American.

How to say “I am American” in Korean

If you’re an American and someone asks you about your nationality, here’s how you can answer their question.

저는 미국 사람입니다. (jeoneun miguk saramimnida)

I am American. 

미국 (miguk) is just one of the many Korean words for different countries. If you’d like to learn more about using these words as you create Korean sentences, we have online courses for that. You can learn more about it here!

A word of caution about Romanization

We’ve romanized South Korean words by writing their closest pronunciation in English letters. It’s good for one-off words, but if you’re planning to learn Korean, then we highly recommend learning Hangeul.

We made a handy guide here that will teach you how to learn before your next meal. It’s surprisingly easy!

Once you know how to read Hangeul, head over here for a step-by-step guide for learning Korean.

Wrap Up

Now that you know how to say “United States” in Korean, what other Korean terms for countries would you like to learn? Let us know in the comments below!

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