Korean Pregnancy and Baby Vocabulary: Words and Examples

What you'll learn

• Match all 30 pregnancy and baby words to their English meanings.
• Say five of them aloud with the help of the Revised Romanization and the audio.
• Write two original sentences that use words such as 임신 (pregnancy) and 출산 (childbirth).
• Explain what 백일 and 돌 are, and tell the medical words from the family words.

Prerequisites: you can read Hangul and know the family words in Relationships and Titles. Estimated time: about 75 minutes, plus short reviews on the following days.

Korean Pregnancy and Baby Vocabulary at a Glance

The list has 30 words in five groups of six, in the order a family meets them: the months of pregnancy, the birth, the things a baby needs, the milestones of the first year, and the words for everyday parenting. It belongs to Relationships and Titles, and it is written for learners who want to talk with Korean friends and colleagues who are expecting or have a new baby.

This page is a themed list. For the single word for baby with its meaning and one use, the dedicated page on baby in Korean gives that answer. Here the goal is the wider set of words around the baby.

Which Pregnancy and Baby Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 임신 (pregnancy), 출산 (childbirth), 기저귀 (diaper), 유모차 (stroller) and 돌 (first birthday) first. With these five you can follow most conversations about a new baby and say congratulations at a party. A short sentence such as 아내가 임신했어요 (my wife is pregnant) needs only the noun and the verb ending. Then follow this order:

1. Step 1: the five words above.
2. Step 2: the clinic words 산부인과, 초음파 and 신생아.
3. Step 3: baby items: 젖병, 분유, 이유식 and 아기띠.
4. Step 4: the culture words 백일, 돌잔치 and 돌잡이, then the parenting words.

The scene below numbers ten of the objects in a home with a new baby, so you can tie each word to something you can point at.

Word · 10

1. 1

   임신

   Play

   imsin

   pregnancy

2. 2

   출산

   Play

   chulsan

   childbirth

3. 3

   신생아

   Play

   sinsaenga

   newborn

4. 4

   기저귀

   Play

   gijeogwi

   diaper

5. 5

   젖병

   Play

   jeotbyeong

   baby bottle

6. 6

   유모차

   Play

   yumocha

   stroller

7. 7

   분유

   Play

   bunyu

   infant formula

8. 8

   백일

   Play

   baegil

   100th day

9. 9

   돌

   Play

   dol

   first birthday

10. 10

    어린이집

    Play

    eorinijip

    daycare center

Tap a number to hear the word. The word order of the scene follows the order of the sections below.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy words are used at the clinic, at work and among family. 임신 is the plain, neutral word. 임산부 names the pregnant woman, 태아 is the unborn child, and 초음파 is the ultrasound scan. 입덧 is the morning sickness many women have in the early months.

임신 is the word you will see on forms and hear at the clinic. Among friends and family, many people say 아기가 생겼어요 (a baby has come to us) when they share the news. 태교 is a good example of a culture word: it has no single English word, because it covers music, reading and mood as a way of caring for the child before birth. The verb 들으면서 combines 듣다 (to listen) with the ending -(으)면서 (while). 듣다 is a ㄷ irregular verb, so its ㄷ changes to ㄹ before a vowel, as in 들으면서 and 들었어요.

How Do You Say Birth in Korean?

Childbirth is 출산 (chulsan), and the verb 출산하다 means to give birth. A woman can also say 아기를 낳다 (to give birth to a baby), a native expression that is common in daily talk. The six words below cover the hospital and the first weeks at home.

Two verbs say give birth. 출산하다 is formal and used in news and at work, while 낳다 is the everyday native verb: 아기를 낳았어요 (I gave birth to a baby). The same 낳다 also appears in 아이를 낳다 (to have a child). 산후조리원 is long, so break it into three parts: 산후 (after birth), 조리 (care and recovery) and 원 (an institution). The word 산부인과 also splits into parts: 산 (birth), 부인 (woman) and 과 (department), and the 과 is said tense: [산부인꽈].

Baby Care Items

Here are the items to put on a shopping list for a new baby. 기저귀 (diaper), 젖병 (bottle) and 분유 (formula) are daily purchases, 유모차 is the big purchase, and 아기띠 and 이유식 appear once the baby is out of the house and starting to eat.

Look at the verb in the formula sentence: 타다 means to ride, as in 버스를 타요, and it also means to mix a drink, as in 분유를 타요 and 커피를 타요 (I make instant coffee). The context tells you which one. The verbs in this group are practical: 갈다 (to change or replace), 밀다 (to push), 안다 (to hold in the arms) and 만들다 (to make). 이유식 is usually made at home and given in stages, so you may hear stages named as 초기 (early) and 후기 (late).

How Do You Say Baby Milestones (백일, 돌) in Korean?

Two parties mark the first year. 백일 (baegil) is the 100th day after birth, and 돌 (dol) is the first birthday. The first birthday is also called 첫돌 (cheotdol), and for a toddler's second birthday people may say 두 돌. The other words in this group name what a baby learns to do.

백일 and 돌 are family events, and the invitation 돌잔치에 초대받았어요 is one you may meet if you work or study in Korea. For 백일, families traditionally share white steamed rice cake (백설기 baekseolgi) with relatives and neighbours. At the 돌잡이, a table holds objects such as thread, money and a pencil, and what the baby grabs is joked about as a sign of the child's future. These are customs, not rules, and families keep them in different ways.

Parenting Words

The last group covers the day-to-day words of parents. 육아 (child-rearing) is the general topic, 수유 and 모유 name feeding, 예방접종 is the vaccination schedule, and 어린이집 and 베이비시터 name the people and places who care for the child while parents work.

육아 appears in many compounds: 육아 일기 (parenting diary) and 육아용품 (baby goods) are common. The most useful pattern in this group is the verb with a place: 어린이집에 보내요 uses 에 for the destination and 보내다 for sending someone, so the sentence means I send the child to daycare. For an exact term in an official form, such as a leave of absence for child care, check the wording on the official form rather than guessing.

아기, 애기 and 아이: Three Words for a Young Child

Korean uses three words for a young child. 아기 (agi) is the standard word for a baby or a toddler, and it is what you will see in books and on signs. 애기 (aegi) is a common casual variant in speech, and 아이 (ai) is the general word for a child of any age. Learners should write 아기 and may hear 애기. The single-word page on baby in Korean gives the full explanation.

Medical Words and Family Words

The words on this page come in two registers. Medical words such as 임신, 출산 and 진통 are neutral and are the right choice with a doctor, on a form or in the news. Family talk uses native phrases: 아기가 생겼어요 for being pregnant, 아기를 낳았어요 for giving birth, and 아기가 태어났어요 for the baby has been born. Pregnancy is a private subject in many places, so wait for the other person to bring it up, and offer congratulations with 축하해요 once they have.

How Do You Pronounce Korean Pregnancy and Baby Words?

Several baby words change their sound. The National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) sets these changes in its standard pronunciation rules. Revised Romanization follows the spoken sound for linking, but it does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word and sentence has its own clip. The five clips below play the harder words slowly. Play a clip, say the word, then play it again and compare the ends of the syllables.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Pregnancy and Baby Words?

Five patterns catch learners when they talk about babies.

1. Using medical words in casual talk. 임신했어요 is correct, but between friends 아기가 생겼어요 is warmer. Use the medical word at a clinic.
2. Reading 출산 as written. The sound is [출싼]. A tense ㅅ after ㄹ is normal in Sino-Korean words, and English speakers often say chul-san with a plain s.
3. Using 돌 for every birthday. 돌 on its own is the first birthday, and 두 돌 is used only for a toddler. Later birthdays are 생일, as in 생일 파티.
4. Mixing up 타다 meanings. 분유를 타요 means to mix formula, not to ride it. The verb follows the object.
5. Calling the baby 애기 in writing. Speech often has 애기, but the standard written form is 아기.

If you keep the registers apart and remember the one verb with two meanings, most of the trouble goes away. The practice section turns the list into drills.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the deck in recognition mode until the 30 words feel familiar. Second, switch to listening mode and tap the clip before the card turns. Third, take the five-question quiz below. The deck stores your progress 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 additional practice, write the five groups on cards and sort them by hand.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Honorific Vocabulary for the respectful words you use with elders, or with Korean Friendship Vocabulary for words about friends.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Pregnancy in Korean?

Pregnancy is 임신 (imsin). The verb is 임신하다, so I am pregnant is 임신했어요 in the past form that Korean uses for a state that has begun. Among friends, people often say 아기가 생겼어요 instead. The word is neutral and is safe at a clinic or at work.

How Do You Say Childbirth in Korean?

Childbirth is 출산 (chulsan), and the verb 출산하다 means to give birth. In daily talk, people use the native verb 낳다, as in 아기를 낳았어요. The first syllable ends in ㄹ, so the ㅅ that follows is said with a tense sound: [출싼]. The audio plays it.

How Many Pregnancy and Baby Words Should I Learn First?

Five first: 임신, 출산, 기저귀, 유모차 and 돌. They let you follow a short conversation about a new baby. At five new words a day the 30 words take about a week with review. Add the clinic words next, and the culture words 백일 and 돌잔치 last.

What Are 백일 and 돌 in Korea?

백일 is the 100th day after birth and 돌 is the first birthday. Families celebrate them with food, and 돌 includes the 돌잡이, where the baby picks an object. Both are family customs, so a gift or a kind message is welcome when you are invited. Dress and gifts differ from family to family.

Where Can I Practise Pregnancy and Baby Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 30 words with Hangul, romanization and audio, in recognition and listening modes. Your progress stays in your browser. Give the sound-change words extra time in listening mode.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Pregnancy and Baby 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, the tables on this page can be copied by hand, and the deck carries the same 30 words.

Save This to Pinterest