Korean word

사자

Pronunciation

Romanizationsaja

Meaning

  • nounlion

Example

동물원에서 사자를 봤어요.tong mu rwo ne seo sa ja reul pwa sseo yo

I saw a lion at the zoo.

Illustration for 사자 (lion)

More examples

작은 가게에서 사자 인형을 샀어요.cha geun ka ge e seo sa ja in hyeong eul sa sseo yo

I bought a stuffed lion at a small shop.

Core concept

A large social big cat, often pictured with a mane and living on open grasslands.

Common phrases

  • 사자 인형sa ja in hyeong

    stuffed lion

  • 사자 우리sa ja u ri

    lion cage

  • 사자 사진sa ja sa jin

    lion photograph

Similar words

고양이koyangi: A small furry animal often kept as a pet and living with people.
호랑이horangi: A large striped wild cat that hunts for food mainly in forests.
맹수maengsu: A powerful meat-eating wild animal that may be dangerous to people.

Definition in Korean

큰 고양잇과 동물로, 동물원이나 아프리카 초원에 살며 수컷은 갈기가 있고 무리로 생활하는 포유류keun ko yang it kkwa tong mul lo tong mu rwo ni na a peu ri ka cho wo ne sal myeo su keo seun kal gi ga it kko mu ri ro saeng hwal ha neun po yu ryu

Word origin

The word comes from a Sino-Korean term borrowed from Chinese for this big cat.

Usage tips

  • The same sound can have other meanings in Korean, so a zoo or animal setting helps identify this meaning.

Other meanings

  • messengernoun
  • dead personnoun

Related words

  • 사자상sajasanglion sculpturenoun
  • 사자탈sajatallion face masknoun
  • 사자춤sajachumlion dancenoun

Word lists with this word