Korean Shapes Vocabulary: 25 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Shapes Vocabulary at a Glance

This list has 25 words in five groups of five. It begins with the words you need to point at a circle or a star, moves to the names used in maths class, then to solid shapes, lines and angles, and ends with the shapes you see on bags, shirts and umbrellas. It belongs to Shapes, Materials and Measurements in Korean and pairs with Korean Materials Vocabulary.

Almost all of these are nouns. The same noun can often be placed in front of another noun to describe it, as in 세모 모양 (a triangle shape) or 줄무늬 셔츠 (a striped shirt). Adjectives that describe shapes, such as 둥글다 (round), are on the size, shape and color adjectives pages.

Which Shapes Should You Learn First?

Learn 모양 (shape), 동그라미 (circle), 네모 (square), 세모 (triangle) and 별 (star) first. These five words are the ones children use, and adults use them in everyday talk too. They are short, they are all nouns, and they let you describe most objects in a sentence.

• Words to say. 모양, 동그라미, 네모, 세모, 별, 하트. You use these when you draw, shop or describe something.
• Words to recognise. 무늬, 줄무늬, 체크무늬, 직선, 곡선. These appear on clothing labels, in drawing tasks and in school books.
• Words to understand when spoken. 삼각형, 사각형, 원기둥, 원뿔, 직각. A teacher or a maths video uses these, and you only need to follow them at first.

Many flat shapes have two names, and you will meet both. 동그라미, 네모 and 세모 are the plain everyday words. 원, 사각형 and 삼각형 are the Sino-Korean words that school books use, built from Chinese-character roots (the same roots as in Japanese and Chinese). Both sets are correct. Use the plain set with friends and children, and expect the school set in textbooks and on tests. For the single-word answers, see circle in korean and triangle in korean.

Word · 10

1. 1

   동그라미

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   donggeurami

   circle; round shape

2. 2

   네모

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   nemo

   square; four-sided shape

3. 3

   세모

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   semo

   triangle

4. 4

   별

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   byeol

   star

5. 5

   하트

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   hateu

   heart (shape)

6. 6

   원기둥

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   wongidung

   cylinder

7. 7

   원뿔

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   wonppul

   cone

8. 8

   줄무늬

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   julmunui

   stripes; striped pattern

9. 9

   체크무늬

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   chekeumunui

   check; plaid pattern

10. 10

    물방울무늬

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    mulbangulmunui

    polka dots; dotted pattern

Everyday Shapes

These five words name the shapes you can point at and draw. They are the first ones children learn, and they work in any casual conversation. 모양 is the general word for shape, and the other four are particular shapes you see every day. The first three are easy to remember because 네모 and 세모 differ by only one sound.

Example Sentences

The sentences in this group use three simple frames. The first is thing + 이/가 + description, as in 컵이 예뻐요 (the cup is pretty). The second is shape + 모양 + noun, as in 세모 모양 샌드위치 (a triangle-shaped sandwich). The third is object + 을/를 + verb, as in 별 모양 스티커를 붙여요 (I stick on a star sticker). After a vowel the subject particle is 가 and the object particle is 를, and after a consonant they are 이 and 을, so 컵이 (after the consonant ㅂ) but 스티커를 (after the vowel ㅓ). Say each sentence aloud after the clip.

How Do You Say Circle, Triangle and Rectangle in School Korean?

School maths uses a second set of shape names. They are Sino-Korean words, so each one is built from short parts you can reuse. If you learn the parts, you learn the whole family. The five words below cover the flat shapes taught in primary school.

The school words follow a pattern. A number or quality comes first, then 각 (angle), then 형 (shape): 삼 + 각 + 형 is a three-angle shape, and 사 + 각 + 형 is a four-angle shape. The same pattern gives 오각형 (pentagon) and 육각형 (hexagon). Once you know the counting pattern, you can read most polygon names without a lookup. The Sino-Korean numbers 삼, 사, 오 and 육 are explained on the Sino-Korean numbers page.

Notice the sentence 삼각형은 변이 세 개예요. It uses 세 (three), the native number, with the counter 개, because 변 (side) is a countable thing. The topic particle is 은 after the consonant in 삼각형 (the final ㅇ counts as a consonant).

How Do You Say 3D Shapes in Korean?

Solid shapes have a body, and Korean names them by adding a part word to a flat shape. The first word is the sphere, the next two are the cylinder and the cone, and the last two name the idea of solid and flat. They appear in maths books, science videos and building toys.

The solid-shape words are built from the flat-shape words. 원 (circle) becomes 원기둥 (cylinder) and 원뿔 (cone) when you add a part word: 기둥 (pillar) and 뿔 (horn). A school diagram often shows a flat shape and its solid partner side by side, which makes a good memory aid. Draw 원 next to 구 and 원 next to 원기둥 on a sheet of paper and say each pair aloud. For the matching adjectives, see the size, shape and color adjectives.

Lines and Angles

These five words describe what you draw and where lines meet. You need them for drawing tasks, diagrams and instructions such as "draw a straight line". Each is a noun, and the verb that goes with most of them is 그리다 (draw), as in 선을 그려요.

Lines and angles are the words you need to read drawing instructions. 선 is the general noun, 직선 is the straight type, and 곡선 is the curved type. The prefix 직 means straight or direct in many Sino-Korean words, so 직각 is a "straight-cornered" angle, that is, a right angle. The word 각 (angle) alone also means a corner, as in 사각형, which is why the shape word has 각 in the middle.

Tensing is the rule to watch. In 직선, 곡선 and 직각, a final ㄱ sound before ㅅ or ㄱ makes the next consonant tense. You say [직썬], [곡썬] and [직깍]. The Revised Romanization does not show that tensing, so it writes jikseon, gokseon and jikgak.

Shapes in Objects and Patterns

Shapes also appear as decoration. This group begins with the heart, a popular symbol on stickers and cards, and then gives four pattern words. They are the words shop assistants use when you ask about the design of a shirt, a bag or an umbrella.

The last four words all use 무늬, the pattern word. You build a pattern name by putting something in front: 줄 (line) gives 줄무늬, 체크 gives 체크무늬, and 물방울 gives 물방울무늬. Most are written as one word. In shopping, you can say the pattern before the clothing: 줄무늬 셔츠, 체크무늬 치마, 물방울무늬 우산. The pattern words also appear in the clothing vocabulary, where you can pair them with items you wear.

How Do You Use Shape Words to Describe an Object?

Korean usually describes a shape with a noun + 모양 (shape), or with a noun + 이에요/예요 (it is a noun). Both patterns use the words from this list. The first is for "shaped like", the second is for "is a".

A tip for describing an object in three words: say the shape, then the colour, then the thing. 둥근 빨간 공 is a round red ball, but at beginner level, it is enough to say 빨간 동그라미 (a red circle). The colour words are in colors. Because Korean does not need "a" or "the", you can drop them completely, so 별 모양 스티커 is a star-shaped sticker, with nothing extra.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Most shape words are short and easy to say. A few have sounds that differ from the spelling, mainly tensing after a final consonant and the way ㅢ is read in 무늬. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which records some sound changes and ignores others.

The vowel ㅡ in 동그라미 (donggeurami) is the one learners find hardest. It is an unrounded vowel: spread your lips as for a smile and say "uh" with your tongue back. Do not round the lips like "oo". The same vowel is in 체크 (chekeu), where it is the last sound. The Romanization writes it eu, and it is worth listening to the clip rather than reading the letters.

Audio and Slow Playback

Every headword and every example sentence has its own audio. The five clips below replay the trickiest words slowly. Play one, repeat it aloud, then play it again and compare.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Shapes?

These five mistakes come up often with shape words.

1. Treating 네모 as only a square. 네모 means any boxy shape, including a rectangle. For a shape with four equal sides, a teacher says 정사각형.
2. Mixing the school and plain words in one sentence. 삼각형 and 세모 mean the same thing, but a maths worksheet uses the school word. Use 삼각형 in writing and 세모 in speech with children.
3. Reading 원 as the currency. 원 is both a circle and the won. In 원을 그려요 (I draw a circle), the verb shows the shape meaning. In 천 원이에요 (it is 1,000 won), the number shows the currency.
4. Leaving out 모양 when you mean "shaped". 하트 쿠키 is understood, but 하트 모양 쿠키 says clearly that the cookie is heart-shaped. Add 모양 when you describe the form of a thing.
5. Pronouncing the tense sounds as plain. 직선 is [직썬], not [직선]. Plain ㅅ after a stop sound sounds too soft in Korean. Say the second consonant a little harder and shorter.

One habit avoids most of these: learn each flat shape as a pair, such as 세모 and 삼각형, and say the pair together. Then you will recognise whichever one you hear.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you know each of the 25 words. Second, switch to listening mode and answer from the audio alone. Third, take the quiz. The deck covers all 25 words with audio, and your progress stays in your browser. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other decks.

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, draw a circle, a square, a triangle and a star on a sheet of paper, write the Korean word under each one, and say it aloud. A drawing exercise like this fixes the word and the shape together.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Materials Vocabulary, which teaches what things are made of, or Korean Measurement Vocabulary for length and size. For the clothing patterns in use, see clothing. To return to the full set, go back to Shapes, Materials and Measurements in Korean.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Circle in Korean?

Circle is 동그라미 (donggeurami) in everyday speech and 원 (won) in maths class. Both are correct. Use 동그라미 for a circle you draw or a round shape, as in 동그라미를 그려요 (I draw a circle). The single-word page on circle in korean gives more examples.

How Do You Pronounce 네모 (nemo)?

Say ne-mo, with two short syllables. The first vowel ㅔ is like the "e" in "bed", and the ㅗ is a rounded "o", like in "go" but shorter. There is no sound change, so the spelling matches the sound. Press the audio button for the normal and slow versions.

How Many Shapes Should I Learn First?

Five first: 모양, 동그라미, 네모, 세모 and 별. At five new words a day, the whole list of 25 takes five days plus review. Add 원 and 삼각형 on day two if you have a maths class or a drawing task.

Where Can I Practise Shapes with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 25 words with Hangul, romanization and audio, and it offers recognition and listening modes. Your progress stays in your browser, so return daily and review the cards you missed.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. It is a learning aid and does not show every sound change, so rely on the Hangul and the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Shapes?

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, copy the tables on this page by hand or use the flashcard deck, which carries the same 25 words.

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