Korean word

수년

Pronunciation

Romanizationsunyeon

Meaning

  • nounseveral years

Example

회사에서 수년 동안 일했다.hoe sa e seo su nyeon tong an il haet tta

I worked at the company for several years.

Illustration for 수년 (several years)

More examples

그 사건은 수년 전 일어났다.keu sa geo neun su nyeon cheon i reo nat tta

The incident occurred several years ago.

Core concept

A stretch of multiple years viewed as one broad, unspecified period.

Common phrases

  • 수년 전su nyeon cheon

    several years ago

Similar words

몇 년myeot nyeon: A conversational way to ask about or state an approximate number of years.
수년간sunyeongan: A phrase that treats several years as one continuous period and highlights its duration.
여러 해yeoreo hae: A span covering multiple years in succession without naming the exact count.

Definition in Korean

수년은 몇 년에서 여러 해에 걸친 기간을 이르는 명사로, 구체적인 연수를 밝히지 않을 때 쓰인다su nyeo neun myeot nyeo ne seo yeo reo hae e keol chin ki ga neul i reu neun myeong sa ro ku che jeo gin yeon su reul pal ki ji a neul ttae sseu in da

Word origin

This Sino-Korean noun combines the element meaning several or a number with the element meaning year, so its form points to a span whose exact length is left unstated.

Usage tips

  • Compared with an exact number of years, this word keeps the duration deliberately vague, which makes it useful in reports and formal descriptions.

Opposites

  • 수일suilseveral daysnoun
  • 단기간tangiganshort periodnoun

Related words

  • 수년간sunyeonganseveral-year periodnoun
  • 수년째sunyeonjjaefor several years nowadverb

Word lists with this word