Around the world, many different types of governments and rulers exist. Most countries have a president while others have a prime minister in charge. Many countries with prime ministers in charge have royal families. Kings and emperors, in highly respected positions, even if they carry no real power. People seem to hold particular interest towards kings, queens, princes, and princesses of the world.

So today, the new word we will learn is related to this royal topic as well. Indeed, today we will learn how to say ‘king’ in Korean! Now let’s get to learning some royal vocabulary!

‘King’ in Korean

The most commonly used word for how to say king in Korean is 왕 (wang). In some situations, you may also see the words 제왕 (jewang) and 국왕 (gukwang) used. However, nearly always just the word 왕 by itself will do just fine, especially in spoken situations. There are other words as well, but they have double meanings that are unrelated to this topic. In this article, we’re limiting the vocabulary of the word king to these three words for the time being. Just to limit confusion. Even the word 제왕 also shares the meaning of ’emperor’.

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:

어느 날에는 그 왕자가 왕의 자리에 오를거에요. (eoneu nareneun geu wangjaga wange jarie oreulgeoeyo.)

One day that prince will be crowned king.

누군가 영국의 왕으로 될거지요? (nugunga yeonguke wangeuro dwilgeojiyo?)

Who will become the kind of United Kingdom?

국왕이라도 그 나라의 모든 법을 지켜야하지요. (gugkwangirado geu narae modeun beobeul jikhyeoyahajiyo.)

Even that country’s king must follow all the laws.

Informal:

밀림의 제왕은 바로 사자야. (millime jewangeun baro sajaya.)

Lion is the king of the jungle.

Now that you know how to say king in Korean, are you excited to learn how to refer to the rest of the royal family members in Korean as well? Let us know what other royal words you’d like to learn next!

*Want more Korean phrases? Go to our Korean Phrases Page for a complete list!

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