Today, we have a simple vocabulary word for you to learn. We’re going to learn how to say ‘moon’ in Korean. We’ll also go through variations and related words to help with your vocabulary bank. Let’s get going!
달 (dal)
Some people get this word confused with ‘딸’ which has a stronger pronunciation at the beginning. This is the most common word used for moon. Unlike the Korean words for sun, there is only one word you need to know for moon. It’s considered a word for beginners since it’s only one syllable and usually easy to pronounce for most learners.
위성 (wi-seong)
This is the word used when referring to moons around other planets.
In other contexts, this word can also mean ‘month’.
Now, let’s look at some related words:
반달 (ban-dal) = Half moon
‘반’ in Korean means half. It’s simply added onto ‘달’.
보름달 (bo-reum-dal) = Full moon
‘보름’ can mean fifteen days, half month, two weeks, or fortnight.
초승달 (cho-seung-dal) = A crescent moon (beginning of the month)
그믐달 (geu-meum-dal) = A crescent moon (end of the month)
‘그믐’ means the end or last day of the month.
‘초승’ means the first days of the month.
상현달 (seong-hyeon-dal) = First quarter moon
하현달 (ha-yeon-dal) = Last quarter moon
신월 (shin-weol) = New moon
‘신’ can mean ‘new’ in Korean and ‘월’ means month.
달빛 (dal-but) = Moonlight
‘빛’ means ‘light’ in Korean.
Finally, let’s take a look at some sentences for some of the words. Remember you’ll have better success by learning to read the alphabet and learning the proper pronunciation for each letter.
달이 해를 가린다 (dal-i hae-reul ga-lin-da) = The moon eclipses the sun.
보름달이 중천에 떠 있다 (bo-reum-dal-i jung-cheon-e ddeo i-tta) = The full moon is high up in the sky.
달빛이 밝더라고요. (dal-bit-chi bal-deo-ra-go-yo) = The moonlight was bright.
What about the moon’s hot-tempered friend? Check out how to say ‘sun’ in Korean next.