Korean word

살

Pronunciation

Romanizationsal

Meaning

  • nounyears old

Example

저는 29살이에요.cheo neun 29 sa ri e yo

I'm 29 years old.

Illustration for 살 (years old)

More examples

동생은 5살이에요.tong saeng eun 5 sa ri e yo

My younger sibling is 5 years old.

Core concept

A number followed by this word gives a person's age.

Common phrases

  • 몇 살myeot sal

    how old

  • 살 되다sal toe da

    turn ___ years old

Similar words

나이nai: The number of years a person has lived, used to state that person's age.
세se: A formal expression for a person's age in official or written settings.
연세yeonse: A respectful term for an older person's age.

Definition in Korean

사람의 나이를 나타내는 명사로 숫자 뒤에 붙여 '스물다섯 살'처럼 쓰며 신체의 '살'(고기)과는 문맥으로 구별한다.sa ra mui na i reul na ta nae neun myeong sa ro sut jja twi e pu chyeo seu mul da seot sal cheo reom sseu myeo sin che ui sal ko gi kwa neun mun mae geu ro ku byeol han da

Word origin

The age sense comes from a native Korean noun used for counting a person's years and is not historically the same word as the meat sense.

Usage tips

  • Korean uses a short number-plus-age-marker pattern where English uses the longer expression number plus years old.

Other meanings

  • meatnoun

Word lists with this word