Word
korean
Phoneticsko·re·an
/ˈkɹiən/
Definitions
01the language
n. the language spoken in North and South Korea.
n. the official language of the Korean Peninsula, spoken by approximately 80 million people globally.
“She is learning Korean because she wants to watch dramas without subtitles.”
“Modern Korean features a unique writing system called Hangul, which was commissioned by King Sejong the Great in the 15th century.”
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the language itself.
02a person
n. a person from North Korea or South Korea, or someone whose family comes from there.
n. a person of Korean ethnicity or a citizen of either North or South Korea.
“My new neighbour is a Korean who moved here to study engineering.”
“The diaspora includes many Koreans living in the United States, China, and Japan who maintain strong cultural ties to the peninsula.”
Usage
Countable noun; the plural form is 'Koreans'.
03relating to Korea
adj. related to the country, the people, or the language of Korea.
adj. relating to North or South Korea, their inhabitants, or their language.
“We went to a great Korean restaurant and had spicy fried chicken.”
“The Korean electronics industry has seen massive global growth over the last few decades, led by major multinational corporations.”
Usage
Always capitalized.
Etymology
From Korea + -an.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.