If you’ve been wondering how to say ‘gift’ in Korean, you’ve come to the right place!

This word can be used on so many occasions – birthdays, Christmas, Korean New Year and of course, all of the Korean love holidays!

We’ve got a “gift” in store for you today. That’s right, we’re going to teach you how to say ‘gift’ in Korean and we’ll even show you how you can use it in some common scenarios.

You’ve been waiting long enough so without further ado, here it is!

*Can’t read Korean yet? Click here to learn for free in about 60 minutes!

‘Gift’ in Korean

The way to say ‘gift’ in Korean is 선물 (seon-mul). Of course, the word ‘present’ also translates to the same word in Korean. Commit it to memory and add it to your arsenal of Korean vocabulary words!

A Word of Caution About Romanization

We’ve added in the romanization (seon-mul) below the word to help with pronunciation. However, we recommend skipping romanization entirely and just moving onto becoming comfortable with Hangul (the Korean alphabet). The reason for this is that romanization leads to mistakes and confusion since there are so many competing systems. Imagine a Korean learning English by only spelling out words using Hangul and never learning to read English! It wouldn’t get you very far, would it?

Also, learning vocabulary words is a great way to help you start getting a feel for a new language but the best way to make fast progress is to learn to have conversations in Korean. You can get started by looking at our free list of Korean phrases or taking a look at our full Korean course if you want hand-holding throughout the learning process!

Alternate Uses of ‘Gift’ in Korean

There is one common synonym in English that also translates to 선물 in Korean, and we’ve already discussed it!

Sample Sentences

To help you get a feel for the usage of the word ‘gift’ in Korean, here are some sentences that will help you. Remember, your learning should always focus on practical usage of the word in phrases and conversation, so this will get you started. The brackets are added for the markers which are often left out in conversation and so are optional.

Formal/Polite:

당신(을) 위해 선물(을) 샀어요. I bought a present for you.

선물(을) 사줘서 감사합나다. Thank you for buying me a present.

Informal:

너(를) 위해 선물(을) 샀어. I bought a present for you.

선물(을) 사줘서 고마워. Thank you for buying me a present.

How to Remember the Word

The best way to remember new words in Korean is by associating them with ideas you already have stored in your brain!

Which words sound similar in English or your own native language are the best starting point. Other ideas may include other words you have previously learned in Korean.

For example, the word “sun” sounds similar to the first syllable in the word 선물 (seon-mul). Also, the second syllable (물) is the same as the word for ‘water’ in Korean. Perhaps draw a mental picture of the sun giving you water as a present!

Have any other associations or ideas to help aid in memorization? Share your ideas in the comments below!