Korean Birds Vocabulary: 25 Words with Romanization and Audio

Key facts

• Korean has two words for crane: 두루미 is the everyday word, and 학 is the literary one.

Korean Birds Vocabulary at a Glance

Birds appear in Korean daily life more than the word list might suggest. A 까치 is a familiar bird in songs and picture books, a 제비 returning in spring is a story from a folk tale, and a 닭 is both a farm animal and the base of a popular fried food. This list starts with the birds you see in a park, moves to the birds Koreans talk about in stories and sayings, covers poultry, names the parts of a bird and ends with the sounds birds make. It sits in Animals. Birds that live in the home are on the Korean Pets Vocabulary page.

Which Bird Names Should You Learn First?

Learn 새, 참새, 비둘기, 까치 and 닭 first. They are the birds you will see and hear most often, and 새 works as a safe general word when you do not know the species. Add 독수리 and 부엉이 when you want to talk about nature programmes, and the poultry words when you read a menu.

• Words to say. 새, 참새, 비둘기, 까치, 닭, 오리.
• Words to recognise. 두루미, 학, 제비, 기러기. They appear in stories, proverbs, paintings and poems.
• Words to match. 날개, 부리, 깃털, 둥지. Match them to the picture of a bird, and the body-part words stay in your head.

One trap to know early: 새 also means new, as in 새 옷 (new clothes). The two are spelled the same and are told apart by context. The scene below shows a tree, a roof and a pond with numbered birds and bird parts that match the list.

Word · 10

1. 1

   새

   Play

   sae

   bird

2. 2

   참새

   Play

   chamsae

   sparrow

3. 3

   비둘기

   Play

   bidulgi

   pigeon; dove

4. 4

   까치

   Play

   kkachi

   magpie

5. 5

   두루미

   Play

   durumi

   crane

6. 6

   닭

   Play

   dak

   chicken; hen

7. 7

   오리

   Play

   ori

   duck

8. 8

   날개

   Play

   nalgae

   wing

9. 9

   부리

   Play

   buri

   beak

10. 10

    깃털

    Play

    gitteol

    feather

Common Birds

Start with 새, the general word for bird. 참새 is the sparrow, the small brown bird on rooftops, and 비둘기 is the pigeon you see in city squares. 까마귀 is the crow, and 독수리 is the large bird of prey that Koreans call an eagle in everyday speech. 부엉이 is the owl. Most of these words are native Korean words with no Chinese or English origin, so they are short and easy to say.

Example Sentences

Bird sentences use three simple frames. The first is bird + 가 + verb, as in 새가 날아요 (the bird flies). The second is place + 에 + bird + 가 + 있어요 / 많아요, as in 공원에 비둘기가 많아요 (there are many pigeons in the park). The third is time + bird + 가 + 울어요, as in 밤에 부엉이가 울어요. The verb 울다 means to cry, and it also covers the calls of birds and insects, which is why the call of a bird is described as crying rather than singing. 노래하다 (to sing a song) also appears in poems about birds, but 울다 is the plain, everyday choice. Read each sentence aloud after its audio, and keep 가 light and quick.

The next group holds the birds that Koreans know from stories rather than from the park.

How Do You Say Birds in Culture in Korean?

These five birds carry a meaning beyond the animal. 까치, the magpie, appears in songs and picture books, and the example below describes its morning call. 제비, the swallow, is the bird in the folk tale of Heungbu, the kind brother whose swallow brought him a gift after he mended its broken leg. 두루미 and 학 are both cranes and stand for long life in traditional paintings. 기러기 is the wild goose, a bird of autumn that flies in a line.

두루미 and 학 are interchangeable only in part. In a nature programme the bird is a 두루미, and in a poem, a painting or a name the same bird is often a 학. Use 두루미 in speech unless you are reading or quoting something old.

Poultry

Poultry words come up on farms, in picture books and on menus. 닭 is the chicken and 병아리 is the chick. 오리 is the duck, 거위 is the goose and 칠면조 is the turkey. The same animal word is often used inside food names: 닭고기 is chicken meat, 오리고기 is duck meat, and 치킨 (a loanword) is fried chicken. Keep the animal word and the food word apart when you talk, and this page teaches the animal words.

Of the five, 닭 and 오리 are the two you will meet most often. Both appear in cooking words, and both have a spoken sound word in the last group.

How Do You Say Bird Body Parts in Korean?

Five words describe the bird itself and its home. 날개 is the wing, from the verb 날다 (to fly). 부리 is the beak and 깃털 is a feather. 둥지 is the nest, and 알 is the egg that a bird or another animal lays. For a chicken egg that you eat, the usual word is 달걀, and the learner-friendly rule is that 알 is the egg in the nest and 달걀 (or the Sino-Korean 계란) is the food.

날개 and 깃털 usually appear together when you describe a bird, as in 날개에 깃털이 많아요 (the wing has many feathers).

Bird Sounds

Korean often writes animal sounds as doubled sound words. They are not random: each one is fixed, and Koreans learn them as children. The sparrow says 짹짹, the crow says 까악까악, the hen says 꼬꼬댁 and the duck says 꽥꽥. A rooster says 꼬끼오, and a pigeon says 구구. The verb that usually follows is 울다 (to cry). You can read more in animal sounds.

These words stay the same in every sentence. Say them clearly and with strong tense consonants.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Most bird names are said as they are written, but a few have a sound change. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound.

The tense sounds are the hardest part. For 짹짹 and 독수리, tighten your throat slightly and say ㅉ or ㅆ without a puff of air. Compare the plain ㅈ in 제비 and the plain ㅅ in 새.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word and sentence has its own clip. The five clips below replay the hardest words slowly. Play one, repeat it aloud, then play it again and compare.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Bird Names?

Five mistakes come up again and again.

1. Confusing 새 (bird) with 새 (new). They share a spelling. 새가 날아요 is the bird flies, and 새 옷 is new clothes.
2. Using 학 in speech for every crane. 두루미 is the everyday word. 학 is more literary and shows up in art, poems and names.
3. Mixing up 알 and 달걀. 알 is an egg laid by a bird or animal. 달걀 (or 계란) is the chicken egg you cook and eat.
4. Saying 닭이 as [닥이]. The right sound is [달기].
5. Translating "sing" for a bird. Use 울다 for animal calls. Use 노래하다 for people who sing a song.

The practice section turns the list into drills.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Use three steps. Run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until the 25 words come quickly. Switch to listening mode, then take the quiz. The deck holds every word on this page 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 tree with a nest and label five things in Korean: 새, 날개, 부리, 둥지, 알.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Insects Vocabulary for the small creatures in the same garden, or go back to the animals you keep at home on Korean Pets Vocabulary. To move up a level, return to Animals.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Bird in Korean?

Bird is 새 (sae). Say 새가 날아요 for the bird flies. The same spelling also means new, so context tells you which one is meant. Specific birds have their own names, such as 참새 (sparrow) and 까치 (magpie).

How Do You Say Magpie in Korean, and Why Is It Special?

Magpie is 까치 (kkachi). It is a common children's-song and picture-book bird. The example 아침에 까치가 울어요 describes a magpie calling in the morning. Read the bird name with the verb in the sentence to connect the vocabulary with an ordinary action.

What Is the Difference between 두루미 and 학?

Both mean crane. 두루미 is the everyday word you use in conversation and nature talk. 학 is a Sino-Korean word seen more in art, poems and names, where the crane stands for long life.

How Many Bird Words Should I Learn First?

Start with about six: 새, 참새, 비둘기, 까치, 닭 and 오리. The whole list of 25 takes about five days at five new words a day, with review.

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 mark every sound change, so rely on the Hangul and the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Bird Words?

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, use the flashcard deck, which carries the same 25 words, or copy the tables by hand.

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