Do you know the words for the various flowers in Korean?
Flowers are some of nature’s most gorgeous inventions, not only the kind you can see in bloom everywhere in springtime but also the kind you can create right in your backyard.
In this lesson, you will also learn how to say “flower” in Korean. That means you can start creating that flower garden in South Korea as well – or at least tell your Korean friends about the one you have back at home!
Below is a free PDF guide that you can download and take with you:
Contents
Different Korean Flower Words
There are plenty of types of flowers. We’ve listed some of them below with their names in Korean.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 꽃 한 다발 (kkot han dabal) | a bunch of flowers |
| 꽃꽃이 (kkotkkochi) | a flower arrangement |
| 벚꽃 (beotkkot) | cherry blossom |
| 난 (nan) | orchid |
| 수선화 (suseonhwa) | daffodil |
| 양귀비 (yangwibi) | poppy |
| 튤립 (thyullib) | tulip |
| 장미 (jangmi) | rose |
| 베고니아 (begonia) | begonia |
| 백합 (baekhab) | lily |
| 동백꽃 (dongbaekkkot) | camellia |
| 제비꽃 (jebikkot) | violet |
| 해바라기 (haebaragi) | sunflower |
| 무궁화 (mugunghwa) | Hibiscus |
South Korean National Flower
South Korea’s national flower is 무궁화 (mugunghwa) known as the Hibiscus syriacus or Rose of Sharon. You can see this name referred to in different parts of Korean culture. The Korean national flower is the name of a train that runs through the country.
You might have also heard of this flower in the song “The Mugunghwa Flower Is Blooming” in the Korean series Squid Game.
“Rose” in Korean
The Korean word for “rose” is 장미 (jangmi). This flower is often associated with love and romance.
Example:
장미는 언제 꽃을 피어요? (jangmineun eonje kkocheul phieoyo?)
When do roses bloom?
“Sunflower” in Korean
“Sunflower” in Korean is 해바라기 (haebaragi). This Korean flower symbolizes happiness and can brighten up one’s mood!
“Violet” in Korean
The Korean word for “violet” is 제비꽃 (jebikkot) and it symbolizes modesty.
“Cherry Blossom” in Korean
“Cherry blossom” in Korean is 벚꽃 (beotkkot). This comes from cherry blossom trees and symbolizes beauty and purity.
There are also different places in South Korea where you can find these cherry blossoms.
“Lily” in Korean
“Lily” in Korean is 백합 (baekhab). This flower symbolizes innocence and sweetness.
“Camellia” in Korean
The word for “camellia” in Korean is 동백꽃 (dongbaekkkot).
You might have heard this word from the title of the Korean drama, 동백꽃 필 무렵 (dongbaekkkot pil muryeop) or When the Camellia Blooms.
“Flower” in Korean
You can say “flower” in Korean as 꽃 (kkot). As you may have noticed, the word ends with ㅊ (with the “t” sound). This means that when you combine it with an object or noun marking particles, you will pronounce it as 꽃을 (kkocheul) or 꽃이 (kkochi).
However, if you want to say “flower” in the Korean language on its own, with no marking particles attached, the pronunciation needs to end in a “t”-sound. Our article on Korean pronunciation can teach you further about this topic.
Example:
올해는 꽃들이 일찍 피었어요. (orhaeneun kkotdeuri iljjik phieosseoyo.)
The flowers bloomed early this year.
나는 너한테 꽃을 좀 꺾었어. (naneun neohanthe kkocheul jom kkyeokkeosseo.)
I picked up some flowers for you.
어디로 꽃을 심을까? (eodiro kkocheul shimeulkka?)
Where should we plant the flower?
Another word for how to say “flower” in Korean is 화초 (hwacho). It is rarely used but would be an especially good vocabulary word for referring to planting and growing flowers. You can use this word if you’re referring to the verb “plant.”
Example:
오늘은 화초를 심을게요. (oneureun hwachoreul shimeulgeyo.)
I will plant the flowers today.
Now that you know how to say “flower” in Korean, here are also common Korean words that are related to flowers.
“Plant” in Korean
A flower is a type of plant, and the Korean term for “plant” is 식물 (sigmul).
“Garden” in Korean
The Korean word for “garden” is 정원(jeongwon). If you have a garden full of roses, you can call that 장미 정원 (jangmi jeongwon).
Another term used for “garden” is 뜰 (tteul).
A word of caution about Romanization
While it is possible for you to study the Korean words in this article simply by reading their romanized versions, it will come in handy for you to be able to read Hangeul if you ever wish to come to Korea. Hangeul is the Korean alphabet, and not difficult to learn. In fact, you can learn it in just 90 minutes.
After you’ve familiarized yourself with Hangeul, life in South Korea will suddenly seem so much easier, and the country won’t appear so foreign to you. So, if you’re serious about learning Korean, why not learn Hangeul today?
Wrap Up
Now that you know how to say “flower” in Korean, and a bit more about Korean culture, what other great Korean words do you wish to learn? Let us know, and we’ll make the magic happen! In the meantime, you can learn more interesting vocabulary from our blog. This time, about Animals in Korean!
Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto
how to say “jasmine flowers are blooming” in korean please? thank u!
Hi Jasmin, you can say “재스민 꽃이 피어요.” ^^
Hello there! Are we allowed to use 화 in place of 꽃 in a conversation, when referring to flowers? :0
Hi, Jasmine! You should say 꽃 when you want to talk about generally any flower. For example, “꽃 사러 가자.” (Let’s go buy some flowers.) 화 is used when you refer to certain species of flowers, such as “매화” (apricot blossom), “수선화” (daffodil), etc.. ^^
Hi, please help me to understand as I arrived here looking for the answer.
I esa watching the drama “Tomorrow with you”, where main female caracter Is called Bap soon because when Child actress had a line saying “give me rice” and people continue calling her like that. That’s a torture for her. Then the main male character calls her “flower” (looking deeply I found sb said he calles ver kkot soon) and she feels relieved.
It’s hard to understand such emotion without the real words, could be kkot+soon something else?
Thanks!
Hi, Lau! In Korea, we usually add ‘-순’ [soon] after a noun to call a girl with that feature. For example, 밥 means ‘rice or a meal’, so 밥순 means ‘a girl who likes rice or who likes to eat’. He calls her 꽃순 in the drama because 꽃 means ‘flower’ and so 꽃순 would mean that the girl is as pretty as a flower. ^^
WOW… how much we lost in translation!!! and with romanization
Now I can understand her, why she was so happy with him changing her nickname…
oh he’s so cute n_n
THANK YOU A LOT ♥♥♥
고맙십니다
Glad we could help. ^^
How would I ask someone “what type of flowers are those? or “what are these flowers?”
Hi, Ivis! You can say “이 꽃은 뭐예요?” (What are these flowers?) generally. ^^