Word
won
/ˈwɑn/
Uncountable noun
Definition
n. the official currency of South Korea and North Korea. You use this word when talking about money in those countries.
n. the basic unit of currency in South Korea and North Korea.
Examples
“The meal costs ten thousand won.”
“Before traveling to Seoul, she went to the bank to exchange her dollars for won.”
“The value of the won fluctuated significantly against the dollar following the central bank's announcement regarding interest rate adjustments.”
Examples
simple
“The meal costs ten thousand won.”
contextual
“Before traveling to Seoul, she went to the bank to exchange her dollars for won.”
complex
“The value of the won fluctuated significantly against the dollar following the central bank's announcement regarding interest rate adjustments.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “won” in context.
Usage
The noun is uncountable; the plural form remains 'won' rather than 'wons'.
Pitfall
It costs five hundred wons.
It costs five hundred won.
The currency name 'won' is uncountable and does not take an 's' in the plural.
Real-World Examples
“The won was quoted at 1,352.8 won per dollar at 3:30 p.m., up 3.9 won from the close of the previous stock trading session.” “The won closed at 1,340.5 per dollar in Seoul on the 7th, up 9.9 won from the previous session.” “The won on Thursday strengthened 2% to its strongest since October 20 at 1,418.0 per dollar.” “The won is currently misaligned compared to the economy's fundamentals.” Etymology
From Old English winnan; the modern form is the past participle of win.
From Old English wunian, from Proto-Germanic wunāną, from Proto-Indo-European wenh₁- ("to wish, love"). Cognate with Dutch wonen and German wohnen.
From Korean 원(圓) (won), itself from Sinitic 圓 ("circle", hence "round coin"), a reference to the Spanish piece of eight. Doublet of yuan and yen.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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