Korean Mountains and Hiking Vocabulary: Words and Examples

Korean Mountains and Hiking Vocabulary at a Glance

Much of Korea is hills and mountains, and hiking is one of the most common weekend plans. A day on a mountain has a shape that this list follows: you look at the mountain and its features, pack your gear, read the signs on the trail, visit a temple or a lookout and keep an eye on safety. The vocabulary is useful on a hike, and it also helps with weather reports, news about autumn leaves and posts about weekend trips. The list sits in Geography and Countries. For a single-word lookup, see hiking in Korean.

Which Mountain and Hiking Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 산, 등산, 정상, 등산화, 배낭 and 경치 first. They are the words you say on the way up, at the top and in the shop where you buy your gear. Add 입산 금지 and 대피소 before your first real hike, since they are words on signs you need to understand.

• Words to say. 산, 등산, 정상, 등산화, 배낭, 경치.
• Words to recognise. 입산 금지, 이정표, 대피소, 조난. They appear on signs and in news reports.
• Words to match. 능선, 계곡, 봉우리, 오르막, 내리막. Match them to a picture of a mountain and the shape of the land is easy to remember.

Note the pair 오르막 and 내리막. Both end in 막 and mean the slope: 오르막 is the way up and 내리막 is the way down. The scene below shows a mountain with numbered features and gear that match the list.

Word · 10

1. 1

   산

   Play

   san

   mountain

2. 2

   정상

   Play

   jeongsang

   summit; top

3. 3

   바위

   Play

   bawi

   rock; boulder

4. 4

   등산화

   Play

   deungsanhwa

   hiking boots

5. 5

   배낭

   Play

   baenang

   backpack; rucksack

6. 6

   등산로

   Play

   deungsanno

   hiking trail

7. 7

   이정표

   Play

   ijeongpyo

   signpost; trail marker

8. 8

   절

   Play

   jeol

   temple (Buddhist)

9. 9

   전망대

   Play

   jeonmangdae

   lookout; observation deck

10. 10

    대피소

    Play

    daepiso

    shelter; refuge

Mountain Features

Six words describe the shape of a mountain. 산 is the general word for mountain, and 봉우리 is a single peak. 정상 is the very top, and a hiker who reaches it has 정상에 올랐어요 (reached the summit). 능선 is the ridge between peaks, 계곡 is a valley with a stream, and 바위 is a rock or boulder. In names, 산 is often attached to the place: 한라산 is the mountain on Jeju and the highest in South Korea, and 북한산 is the mountain at the edge of Seoul.

Example Sentences

Mountain sentences use three simple frames. The first is place + 에 + movement verb, as in 정상에 올라가요 (I go up to the summit). The second is noun + 이/가 + adjective, as in 봉우리가 높아요 (the peak is high). The third is place + 에서 + verb, as in 계곡에서 놀아요 (I play in the valley). The particle 에 marks where you go, and 에서 marks where you do something. Read each sentence aloud after its audio.

The next group is the gear you bring to the mountain.

How Do You Say Hiking Gear in Korean?

Gear words are easy because most describe the object. 등산화 is hiking boots and 등산복 is hiking clothes, built from 등산 (hiking) and 화 (shoes) or 복 (clothes). 배낭 is the backpack and 스틱 is the trekking pole, borrowed from English. 물통 is the water bottle and 도시락 is the lunch box, a Korean hiking classic: many hikers pack a lunch and eat it at the top. In shops, outdoor stores are called 등산 용품점 and sell all of these.

The verbs differ by item: 신다 for boots, 입다 for clothes and 메다 for carrying a bag on your shoulders. Using the right verb sounds more natural than using one verb for all three.

Trails and Signs

This group is the words you will read on the way up. 등산 is the activity itself, and 등산로 is the trail. 이정표 is a signpost that shows a direction and a distance. 오르막 and 내리막 are the uphill and downhill parts of a path. 입산 금지 is a sign that closes a mountain or path to hikers. Signs of this kind appear for safety reasons, such as the dry season, and you should always obey them.

Learn 입산 금지 as a block. It is two words that you read as one sign, and the romanization shows a space: ipsan geumji.

How Do You Say Temples and Views in Korean?

Many Korean mountains have a Buddhist temple partway up, and a walk to the temple is a popular day trip. 절 is the everyday word for temple, 사찰 is the more formal word and 산사 is a temple in the mountains. Some temples offer a temple stay, where visitors sleep and eat in the temple. At the top or along the way, a 전망대 is a lookout, and the 경치 is the view. In autumn, hikers go to see the 단풍, the red and yellow leaves.

Use 절 in conversation and 사찰 when you read or write. 산사 appears in guidebooks and poems.

Safety

The last group is the words you need if something goes wrong. 안전 is safety. 조난 means being lost or in danger in the mountains, and 구조대 is the rescue team. 대피소 is a shelter, often a small hut where hikers can rest or wait out bad weather. 지도 is a map and 안개 is fog, which can turn a clear path into a confusing one. In an emergency in Korea, the number to call for fire, rescue and an ambulance is 119, said 일일구. Keep this number and the word 조난 in mind before a hike.

Safety words are best learned before you need them. Say them aloud, and keep the emergency number saved on your phone.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Most mountain words are said as written. The signs and trail words have a few sound changes: tensing after a final ㅂ and inside some compounds, linking, and ㄹ turning into ㄴ. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which writes the ㄹ to ㄴ change (deungsanno) but does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound.

The hardest sound is the tense ㅆ in 입산 금지. Close your throat a little and say it without a puff of air. Compare the plain ㅅ in 산 and 정상.

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 Mountain and Hiking Words?

Five mistakes come up again and again.

1. Thinking 등산 means only hard mountaineering. 등산 covers an ordinary hike, and it is the right word for a weekend walk up a Korean mountain.
2. Mixing up the two meanings of 절. The spelling for a temple and for a deep bow is the same. 절에 가요 is I go to the temple, and 절을 해요 is I bow.
3. Mixing up 정상 meanings. 정상 is the summit, but 정상이에요 can also mean it is normal. Use the context.
4. Reading 입산 금지 as two unrelated words. The sign means the whole mountain or path is closed. Obey it.
5. Using one verb for boots, clothes and a bag. 신다 is for shoes, 입다 is for clothes and 메다 is for a bag on the shoulders.

The practice section turns the list into drills.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Use three steps. Run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until the 30 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 mountain with a trail and label five things in Korean: 정상, 등산로, 이정표, 배낭, 절.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Landscape Words for rivers, fields and forests, or look at the seaside on Korean Ocean and Beach Vocabulary. For other leisure words, see hobbies. To move up a level, return to Geography and Countries.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Hiking in Korean?

Hiking is 등산 (deungsan). Say 주말에 등산을 가요 for on the weekend I go hiking. The word covers a walk up a mountain trail, and you use it for any level of hike.

How Do You Say Summit and Trail in Korean?

Summit is 정상 (jeongsang) and trail is 등산로 (deungsanno). Say 정상에 올라가요 for I go up to the summit. The trail is said [등산노] because ㄹ becomes ㄴ after ㄴ.

What Does 입산 금지 Mean on a Sign?

입산 금지 means entering the mountain is forbidden. The sign closes a path or a whole area to hikers, for example during a dry season or to protect nature. Obey it, and look for a different trail.

What Should I Know about Hiking Safety Words in Korean?

Learn 조난 (distress), 구조대 (rescue team) and 대피소 (shelter). In an emergency in Korea, the number for fire, rescue and an ambulance is 119. Check the current rules for the mountain you plan to visit with the park office.

How Many Hiking Words Should I Learn First?

Start with about six: 산, 등산, 정상, 등산화, 배낭 and 경치. The whole list of 30 takes about six 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.

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