Korean word

원어민

Pronunciation

Romanizationwoneomin

Meaning

  • nounnative speaker

Example

원어민이 그 단어를 바로 알았어요.wo neo mi ni keu ta neo reul pa ro a ra sseo yo

The native speaker knew the word right away.

Illustration for 원어민 (native speaker)

More examples

교실에서 원어민과 직접 대화해 봤어요.kyo si re seo wo neo min gwa chik jjeop tae hwa hae pwa sseo yo

I tried having a direct conversation with a native speaker in class.

Core concept

A person who speaks and understands a language as their first language.

Common phrases

  • 원어민처럼 말하기wo neo min cheo reom mal ha gi

    speaking like a native speaker

  • 원어민과 대화하기wo neo min gwa tae hwa ha gi

    talking with a native speaker

Similar words

네이티브neitibeu: A speaker whose pronunciation and choice of expressions sound natural in the language.
모국어 화자mogugeo hwaja: A person raised mainly with one language from childhood as part of daily life.
현지인hyeonjiin: A resident of a place who speaks its language in ordinary daily situations.

Definition in Korean

어떤 언어를 모국어로 말하고 이해하는 사람.eo tteon eo neo reul mo gu geo ro mal ha go i hae ha neun sa ram

Word origin

The Sino-Korean compound combines a term for a native language with a term for a person, making its meaning transparent.

Usage tips

  • A native-language teacher or conversation partner may still have a regional accent or dialect, so native speech is not automatically the same as standard speech.

Opposites

  • 비원어민piwoneominnon-native speakernoun

Related words

  • 원어woneooriginal languagenoun

Word lists with this word