Korean word

코끼리

Pronunciation

Romanizationkokkiri

Meaning

  • nounelephant

Example

동물원에서 코끼리를 봤어요.tong mu rwo ne seo ko kki ri reul pwa sseo yo

I saw an elephant at the zoo.

Illustration for 코끼리 (elephant)

More examples

아이들이 코끼리 인형을 안고 놀고 있어요.a i deu ri ko kki ri in hyeong eul an kko nol go i sseo yo

The children are playing while holding elephant plush toys.

Core concept

A very large plant-eating mammal that uses its long, flexible nose to pick things up and draw in water.

Common phrases

  • 코끼리 무리ko kki ri mu ri

    herd of elephants

  • 코끼리 사진ko kki ri sa jin

    elephant photograph

  • 코끼리 인형ko kki ri in hyeong

    elephant plush toy

Similar words

기린kirin: A land animal with a very long neck that reaches leaves at the tops of trees.
코뿔소koppulso: A heavy plant-eating animal that has one or two strong horns above its nose.
하마hama: A water-loving plant-eating mammal with a broad body and a very wide mouth.
얼룩말eollungmal: A striped grass-eating animal that commonly travels and feeds with a group.

Definition in Korean

몸집이 크고 긴 코를 이용해 물건을 집거나 물을 빨아들이는 초식성 포유류.mom ji bi keu go kin ko reul i yong hae mul geo neul chip kkeo na mu reul ppa ra deu ri neun cho sik sseong po yu ryu

Word origin

The word is a native Korean term, but its precise historical formation is uncertain, so it is best learned as a whole rather than split into parts.

Usage tips

  • For 코끼리 (kokkiri, "elephant"), counting uses an animal counter after the number, which helps distinguish a natural Korean counting phrase from a direct English-style number and noun.

Related words

  • 코끼리새끼kokkirisaekkielephant calfnoun

Word lists with this word