Key Facts
- Hangul: 비행기; Revised Romanization: bihaenggi
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 飛行機 (飛 fly + 行 go + 機 machine)
- Register: Neutral, everyday word used in both spoken and written Korean.
Airplane in Korean: What Does 비행기 Mean?
비행기 is a noun for an airplane, or simply a plane. The register is neutral and everyday. It names the aircraft itself. When you mean the flight as a booked service, Korean uses 항공편 instead.
How Do You Pronounce It?
Three syllables: bi-haeng-gi. The syllable haeng ends in the ng sound, and the next syllable starts with g, which is why Revised Romanization shows it as bihaenggi with a double g.
Example Sentences with 비행기
비행기를 타요.
Bihaenggireul tayo.
I take an airplane.
The basic verb pairing is 타다 (to ride), so 비행기를 타요 is "I take a plane". Korean uses 를 for the vehicle where English says "on".
비행기는 두 시에 출발해요.
Bihaenggineun du sie chulbalhaeyo.
The plane departs at two.
Time and plane together. 두 시에 is "at two o'clock" and 출발해요 means departs. Note the topic particle 는 putting the plane in focus.
저는 비행기를 처음 탔어요.
Jeoneun bihaenggireul cheoeum tasseoyo.
I took a plane for the first time.
처음 means "for the first time". 탔어요 is the past tense of 타다: the stem 타 and the past ending merge into one syllable.
Common Phrases and Collocations
비행기를 타다 is the core verb phrase. 비행기표 is the plane ticket, and 비행기 시간 usually means the time your flight leaves.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 비행기를 타다 | to take a plane |
| 비행기표 | plane ticket |
| 비행기 시간 | flight time |
The Mistake to Avoid
Romanization is the trap here. Learners drop letters when they write the word in English letters.
- Wrong: bihengi
- Correct: bihaenggi. Revised Romanization writes the vowel ㅐ as ae, and the ng at the end of 행 is followed by the g of 기, so two g's appear.
비행기 Compared with 항공편 and 공항
Do not mix the aircraft with the booking. 비행기 is the machine; 항공편 is the flight as a service. 공항 is where planes take off and land.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 비행기 | airplane | This page's word |
| 항공편 | flight | 항공편 is the flight as a service. |
| 공항 | airport | 공항 is where planes take off and land. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
비행기 is Sino-Korean, written 飛行機 in hanja: 飛 (fly) + 行 (go) + 機 (machine). Read in order, the characters spell out "a machine that flies and travels".
Planning a Trip to Jeju
Two friends discuss transport and a ticket. They use the everyday word 비행기 throughout.
Jisu
제주도에 어떻게 가요?
Jejudoe eotteoke gayo?
How are you getting to Jeju Island?
Alex
비행기를 타고 가요.
Bihaenggireul tago gayo.
I’m going by plane.
Jisu
비행기표는 샀어요?
Bihaenggipyoneun sasseoyo?
Have you bought your plane ticket?
Alex
네, 어제 샀어요.
Ne, eoje sasseoyo.
Yes, I bought it yesterday.
비행기를 타고 가요 links “ride a plane” with “go”. It is a natural answer to a question about how you are traveling. The final reply leaves out 비행기표 because both speakers already know what was bought.
Which Plane Expressions Will You Actually Need?
비행기를 놓치다 means “miss a plane” or “miss a flight”. 놓치다 here means failing to catch the departure. It says nothing about why: arriving late, waiting in the wrong place or another delay could all explain it.
비행기에서 내리다 means “get off the plane”. The marker 에서 identifies the vehicle you are leaving. Compare this with 비행기를 타다, where the plane takes the object marker 를. Learning each noun with its marker and verb makes the whole expression easier to use.
비행기로 가다 means “go by plane”. 로 marks the means of transport after this vowel-ending noun. The destination and the means can both appear in one sentence: one part tells the listener where you are going, and the other tells them how.
비행기 시간 often refers to the departure time. If someone asks about your 비행기 시간 while arranging a ride, they probably need to know when you must leave. For the time spent in the air, 비행시간, “flight duration”, is more precise.
Where Will You Hear 비행기 and 항공편?
Friends talking about holidays usually say 비행기. At a booking desk, 항공편 helps identify the scheduled service. Both can be translated as “flight” in everyday English, so use the Korean context rather than choosing by the English gloss alone.
A booking message may include 항공권, “air ticket”, and 편명, “flight number”. The ticket is your travel document or booking; the flight number identifies the service. Neither word names the physical machine in the way 비행기 does.
On board, you may hear 기내, “inside the aircraft”, in instructions. This is a compact formal word useful in announcements. Everyday conversation can express the same location with 비행기 안, “inside the plane”.
A Ticket or a Boarding Pass?
비행기표 is the everyday word for a plane ticket. 탑승권 is a boarding pass, the document used for boarding after the relevant check-in steps. Someone asking for your 탑승권 wants that document, so simply showing a purchase receipt may not answer their request.
탑승 means boarding. It appears in words such as 탑승구, “boarding gate”. Recognizing that shared part helps connect the pass to the place where you board, even when a sign does not use the familiar word 비행기.
Related Words for the Journey
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 항공권 | air ticket | More formal than everyday 비행기표. |
| 탑승권 | boarding pass | The document used to board. |
| 좌석 | seat | Useful when discussing where you sit. |
| 기내 | inside the aircraft | Common in onboard instructions. |
The transportation vocabulary lesson teaches vehicle words together. For the place you travel through before boarding, compare 공항, airport.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 비행기를 놓치다 mean?
- Which word identifies a boarding pass: 비행기표 or 탑승권?
- In 비행기로 가다, what does 로 tell you?
Show answers
- To miss a plane or flight.
- 탑승권.
- The means of transport: going by plane.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "airplane" in Korean?
Say 비행기 (bihaenggi). It means both "airplane" and "plane".
How do you say "take a plane"?
비행기를 타다. The verb 타다 means to ride, and 비행기를 타요 is "I take a plane".
What is the Korean for "plane ticket"?
비행기표, which joins 비행기 (plane) and 표 (ticket).
How is 비행기 romanized?
Revised Romanization gives bihaenggi: ㅐ is written ae, and the final ng of 행 plus the g of 기 gives the double g.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Transportation words groups 비행기 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 비행기 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the transportation list is the word for ship. See the page for ship.
- Compare with the page for airport.