Korean word

천둥

Pronunciation

Romanizationcheondung

Meaning

  • nounthunder

Example

비 올 때 천둥이 자주 친다.pi ol ttae cheon dung i cha ju chin da

Thunder often rumbles when it rains.

Illustration for 천둥 (thunder)

More examples

회의 중 갑자기 천둥 소리가 들려 모두 놀랐다.hoe ui chung kap jja gi cheon dung so ri ga teul lyeo mo du nol lat tta

During the meeting, everyone was startled when they suddenly heard thunder.

Core concept

A deep, rolling sound that spreads through the sky during a storm.

Common phrases

  • 천둥이 울리다cheon dung i ul li da

    thunder rumbles

  • 번개와 천둥peon gae wa cheon dung

    lightning and thunder

  • 밤의 천둥 소리pa mui cheon dung so ri

    the sound of thunder at night

Similar words

번개peongae: A sudden burst of bright light that crosses the sky for an instant.
벼락pyeorak: An electrical discharge from the sky that hits something with great force and may damage it.

Definition in Korean

하늘에서 번개와 함께 또는 번개 뒤에 울려 퍼지는 크고 낮은 소리.ha neu re seo peon gae wa ham kke tto neun peon gae twi e ul lyeo peo ji neun keu go na jeun so ri

Word origin

The exact origin of 천둥 (cheondung, "thunder") is uncertain, so learning its whole-word sound is safer and more useful than assigning meaning to its parts.

Usage tips

  • English uses thunder for the sound, while lightning names the flash, so the two weather words stay separate.

Opposites

Related words

  • 천둥소리cheondungsorisound of thundernoun
  • 천둥번개cheondungbeongaethunder and lightningnoun

Word lists with this word