As part of your essential Korean vocabulary studies, you may learn the words for eyes, lips, nose, mouth, and even ears in Korean. But do you yet know how to say ‘head’ in Korean? If the answer is ‘no’, this is the lesson for you! Keep reading because today we’ll learn the ways how to say ‘head’ in Korean!
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‘Head’ in Korean
So, how do you say ‘head’ in Korean? The word is 머리 (meori), another easy to pronounce and to memorize type of word. Just imagine you have a funny friend named “Morrie” with a big head! This word also doubles as the word for ‘hair’. “Morrie” has a lot of hair! Occasionally you may also see the word 머리 (meori) used to mean ‘mind’. Another word for head is 고개 (gogae), but it’s much more rarely used in conversation.
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 머리속 (meorisok) | mind |
| 머리를 긁다 (meorireul geulda) | scratch one’s head |
| 머리를 때리다 (meorireul ddaerida) | hit somebody’s head/ hit somebody on the head |
| 머리를 끄덕이다 (meorireul ggeudeogida) | nod one’s head |
| 머리를 다치다 (meorireul dachida) | hurt one’s head |
| 머리가 아프다 (meoriga apheuda) | to have a headache |
| 머리다 좋다 (meoriga jotha) | to be smart |
| 머리가 나쁘다 (meoriga nabbeuda) | to be slow of understanding |
| 머리가 잘 안돌아가다 (meoriga jal andoragada) | to not be able to think straight |
| 머리가 잘 돌아가다 (meoriga jal doragada) | to be quick |
| 고개를 들다 (gogaereul deulda) | lift one’s head |
| 고개를 숙이다 (gogaereul sukida) | lower one’s head |
| 고개를 돌리다 (gogaereul dollida) | turn one’s head |
A word of caution about Romanization
While it is possible for you to study the 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 Korea will suddenly seem so much easier and the country won’t appear so foreign for you. So, if you’re serious about learning Korean, why not learn Hangeul today?
Sample Sentences
Standard:
그때는 머리에 부상을 입었어요. (geuddaeneun meorie busangeul ibeosseoyo.)
That time I suffered a head injury.
그는 고개를 빳빳이 쳐들고 아버지를 대들었어요. (geuneun gogaereul bbatbbasi chyeodeulgo abeojireul daedeureosseoyo.)
He held his head high and defied his father.
Informal:
머리 좀 써 봐. (meori jom sseo bwa.)
Try to use your head a little.
그 노래가 내 머리를 떠나지 않고 있어! (geu noraega nae meorireul ddeonaji ankho isseo!)
That song is not leaving my head!
왜 머리속에서 이런 이상한 생각을 있니? (wae meorisogeseo ireon isanghan saengakeul inni?)
Why do you have strange thoughts in your head?
What Korean word would you like to learn next? Let us know in the comments below!
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