How to Say “House” in Korean

Have you ever wondered what a Korean House is called?  Knowing how to say “house” in Korean is very useful as you will probably need to use this word daily in Korea.

In this article, we’re going to be telling you the Korean word for “house” as well as other useful vocabulary words related to it. Let’s go!

“House” in Korean

There are a number of ways to say “house” in Korean. The most common word is 집 (jip). You can also use the word 주택 (jutaek), but it’s safe to use 집 (jip). 

How to Pronounce 집 (jip) in Korean

Listen here for the correct pronunciation of the Korean word for a house: 집 (jip).

Here’s a video that’ll teach you how to pronounce “house” in Korean correctly, plus some tips on how to sound like a native Korean while using this word.

Sample Sentences

김 선생님 댁이 맞습니까? (gim seonsaengnim daegi matseumnikka)

Is this Mr. Kim’s house?

집 근처에 극장이 있어요? (jip geuncheoe geukjangi isseoyo)

Is there a cinema near your house?

파티는 우리 집에서 열릴 거야 (patineun uri jibeseo yeollil geoya)

The party will be at my house.

Korean House vs. Home

There is a difference between “house” and “home” in English,  but such a distinction isn’t made in Korean. If you want to say “I’m going home”, you can use the Korean word 집 (jip).

“My House” in Korean

If you want to say “my house,” then instead of using 제 (je) or 내 (nae) for my, you can use 우리 (uri).

You can say “my house” in  Korean as 우리 집 (uri jip).

Usually, 우리 (uri) means “our,” but it can mean “my” when referring to your home.

“My Home” in Korean

Since the words “house” and “home” doesn’t have any distinction in Korean, you can say “my home” in Korean similar to how you say “my house.” You can also say 우리 집 (uri jip).

Meaning of 댁 (daek)

Some words in Korean have a special honorific form. This means that if you are referring to someone higher than you in the social hierarchy (like a boss or a grandparent), you should use the honorific form of the word. “House” is one of these special honorific words. The honorific term for “house” is 댁 (daek).

If you want to talk about your grandfather’s house or talk to a really old person and want to talk about their house, you should say 댁 (daek).

Never use 댁 (daek) to refer to your own house.

Types of Korean Homes

There are several types of Korean Homes, such as 아파트 (apateu), 빌라 (billa),  주택 (jutaek), etc.

Most Koreans don’t live in a detached, American-style houses. Instead, they often live in apartment blocks, especially in Korea’s main cities.

Here are some special words for the houses that people live in:

아파트 (apateu)

Koreans say 아파트(apateu) when they mean an apartment or a large block of apartments.

빌라 (billa)

A 빌라(billa) is a large detached house, between three and seven floors high, that contains multiple apartments.

주택 (jutaek)

A 주택(jutaek) is a detached house or bungalow

오피스텔 (opiseutel)

This type of Korean house is usually within a large building that has a mix of residential apartments and offices.

고시원 (gosiwon)

Popular with Students, a 고시원 (gosiwon) is a small room where one can live while studying.

기숙사 (gisuksa)

A 기숙사 (gisuksa) is dormitory or hall of residence.

Vocabulary Words for House

Here are some sample vocabulary words related to “House.” Try to use them in a sentence today!

English	Hangeul (Romanization)
address	주소 (juso)
bathroom	화장실 (hwajangsil)
bed	침대 (chimdae)
bedroom	침실 (chimsil)
blanket	담요 (damyo)
doorbell	초인종 (choinjong)
floor	바닥 (badak)
housewarming party	집들이 (jipdeuri)
kitchen	부엌 (bueok)
living room	거실 (geosil)
postal code	우편 번호 (upyeon beonho)
toilet	변기 (byeongi)
wall	벽 (byeok)
wardrobe	옷장 (otjang)
window	창문 (changmun)

Rooms in a house

There are different parts or rooms in a house. Below are what each of them is called in Korean.

“Bathroom” in Korean

화장실(hwajangsil) can mean bathroom in Korean. This word usually refers to the room where the toilet is. However, if you’re referring to the room with the tub or shower, you can say 욕실 (yokshil), 목욕실 (mokyokshil), or 목욕탕 (mokyokthang) instead.  More on this in our article on How To Say ‘Bathroom’ In Korean.

“Bedroom” in Korean

침실 (chimsil) literally means bedroom in Korean. It combines the Korean word for bed, which is 침대 (chimdae) and the suffix -실 (- shil) which indicates that something is a room.  Can’t remember the word 침실 (chimsil)? Check out our article How to Say Bedroom in Korean for amazing associations to help you remember the word.

“Kitchen” in Korean

부엌 (bueok) is probably everyone’s favorite room in the house. It means kitchen in Korean. You use the word 부엌 (bueok) to describe a traditional type of kitchen. This word is used by most older generations.  However, for modern kitchens (including the kitchen in a restaurant), you can use the word 주방 (jubang). You can check out our article How To Say ‘Kitchen’ In Korean for sample sentences using these words.

“Living Room” in Korean

거실 (geosil) is the living room in Korean. It’s usually the place where families gather together for leisure. The 거실 (geosil) is usually a spacious room located at the front of the house that contains things for entertaining guests like the TV.

If you’d like to learn about other items found in a house, we have a separate article on Korean Furniture.

What is a Postal code in Korean?

우편 번호 (upyeon beonho) is Postal Code in Korean. These are 5 – 6 digit codes that are added to postal addresses of houses to assist in the sorting of mail.

Wrap Up

Now that you know how to say ‘house’ in Korean, you can invite your friends and practice speaking Korean even more. Impress them with everything you know about Korea!