Korean word

정체

Pronunciation

Romanizationcheongche

Meaning

  • nountraffic jam

Example

오늘 정체로 차가 많이 막혔어요.o neul cheong che ro cha ga ma ni ma kyeo sseo yo

There was a traffic jam today, so the cars were moving very slowly.

Illustration for 정체 (traffic jam)

More examples

고속도로에서 사고로 정체가 심했어요.ko sok tto ro e seo sa go ro cheong che ga sim hae sseo yo

There was heavy traffic congestion on the highway because of an accident.

Core concept

A moving stream gets clogged so that progress slows or stops.

Common phrases

  • 교통 정체kyo tong cheong che

    traffic congestion

  • 출근길 정체chul geun gil cheong che

    rush-hour traffic jam

  • 정체 구간cheong che ku gan

    congested section

Similar words

교통정체kyotongjeongche: Cars or people fill a route so completely that traffic movement comes to a halt.
교통체증kyotongchejeung: Slow-moving car traffic makes it take longer to get where one is going.

Definition in Korean

도로 위 차량이나 사람의 흐름이 멈추어 이동이 지연되는 상태를 가리키는 명사to ro wi cha ryang i na sa ra mui heu reu mi meom chu eo i dong i chi yeon doe neun sang tae reul ka ri ki neun myeong sa

Word origin

The traffic meaning of 정체 (jeongche, "traffic jam") comes from a Sino-Korean term for a flow that has stopped and become stuck.

Usage tips

  • In traffic updates, this word names the blocked flow itself instead of describing each vehicle as unable to move.

Other meanings

  • identitynoun
  • stagnationnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 정체되다cheongchedoedastagnateverb
  • 정체성cheongcheseongidentitynoun
  • 정체기cheongchegiperiod of stagnationnoun

Word lists with this word