Korean word

계단

Pronunciation

Romanizationkyedan

Meaning

  • nounstairs

Example

밤에 계단을 내려갈 때 조심하세요.pa me kye da neul nae ryeo gal ttae cho sim ha se yo

Be careful when you go down the stairs at night.

Illustration for 계단 (stairs)

More examples

비가 와서 계단이 미끄러워요.pi ga wa seo kye da ni mi kkeu reo wo yo

The stairs are slippery because of the rain.

Core concept

A connected set of steps that lets people move between higher and lower levels.

Common phrases

  • 계단을 오르다kye da neul o reu da

    climb the stairs

  • 계단을 내려가다kye da neul nae ryeo ga da

    go down the stairs

  • 계단을 이용하다kye da neul i yong ha da

    use the stairs

Similar words

사다리sadari: A tall frame with rungs used for climbing up or down.
층계cheunggye: A formal term for a set of steps connecting floors in a building.

Definition in Korean

발을 디뎌 위아래로 오르내리도록 만든 연속된 층계pa reul ti dyeo wi a rae ro o reu nae ri do rok man deun yeon sok ttoen cheung gye

Word origin

It is a Sino-Korean compound of 계 (gye, "level or floor") and 단 (dan, "step"), linking the ideas of levels and steps.

Usage tips

  • English usually uses the plural word stairs for this structure, even when it is treated as one unit.

Related words

  • 계단난간kyedannanganstair railingnoun

Word lists with this word