Key Facts
- Hangul: 공항; Revised Romanization: gonghang
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 空港 (空 sky + 港 port)
- Register: Neutral, everyday word used in both spoken and written Korean. Names: 인천공항, 김포공항.
Airport in Korean: What Does 공항 Mean?
공항 is the noun for an airport. It is neutral and used in speech and writing alike. It also appears inside the names of Korea's best-known airports, 인천공항 and 김포공항, where it is attached straight to the place name.
How Do You Pronounce It?
Two syllables, gong-hang. Both end in the ng sound. Hang is the h of "hot" plus a, then ng. In fast everyday speech the h after ng is often weak, but the careful pronunciation keeps it.
Example Sentences with 공항
공항에 가요.
Gonghange gayo.
I go to the airport.
The shortest travel sentence. 에 marks the destination, and 가요 means go.
공항까지 한 시간 걸려요.
Gonghangkkaji han sigan geollyeoyo.
It takes one hour to get to the airport.
까지 means "as far as" and 걸려요 is the verb for time taken. Koreans often describe distance as travel time like this.
친구를 공항에서 만났어요.
Chingureul gonghangeseo mannasseoyo.
I met my friend at the airport.
에서 marks where the meeting happened, and 만났어요 is the past tense of meeting.
Common Phrases and Collocations
인천공항 is Incheon Airport. 공항 버스 is the airport bus, and 공항에서 출발하다 describes leaving from the airport.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 인천공항 | Incheon Airport |
| 공항 버스 | airport bus |
| 공항에서 출발하다 | to depart from the airport |
The Mistake to Avoid
공항 and 항공 use the same two syllables in swapped order, so they are easy to mix up.
- Wrong: using 항공 to mean the airport building.
- Correct: 공항 is the airport; 항공 means aviation or air travel, as in airline and flight words.
공항 Compared with 항구 and 역
Other transport hubs have their own names. 항구 is a seaport and 역 is a train station.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 공항 | airport | This page's word |
| 항구 | port | 항구 is a seaport. |
| 역 | station | 역 is for trains. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
공항 is Sino-Korean, written 空港 in hanja: 空 (sky) plus 港 (port). A "sky port" is exactly what an airport is.
Finding the Right Airport Bus
A traveler asks a staff member for directions at a city transport information desk. The airport name matters before the staff member can point out the stop.
Traveler
공항 버스는 어디서 타요?
Gonghang beoseuneun eodiseo tayo?
Where do I catch the airport bus?
Staff
어느 공항에 가세요?
Eoneu gonghange gaseyo?
Which airport are you going to?
Traveler
인천공항에 가요.
Incheongonghange gayo.
I’m going to Incheon Airport.
Staff
저쪽 정류장에서 타세요.
Jeojjok jeongnyujangeseo taseyo.
Catch it at the stop over there.
어느 공항 asks “which airport”. Naming 인천공항 gives the staff member the destination they need. 저쪽 means “over there”, so the last line makes sense with a gesture or a visible stop nearby; it is not a complete route description on its own.
Which Marker Follows 공항?
공항에 marks the airport as a destination in 공항에 가요. 공항에서 marks it as the place of an activity, as in meeting a friend there. With a departure verb, 공항에서 can also identify the starting point: 공항에서 출발하다 means leaving from the airport.
공항까지 sets the endpoint, “as far as the airport”. In the existing example about taking an hour, the focus is the whole journey up to that point. The three forms share the same noun but answer different questions: where to, where something happens or starts, and how far.
공항으로 also points toward the airport. You may hear it when someone gives a direction or describes heading there. The form is 으로 after the final consonant ㅇ in 공항. The word's spelling stays intact when the marker attaches.
What Will the Signs Say?
출발 means “departure”, and 도착 means “arrival”. These headings help separate travelers leaving from those coming in. If you are meeting someone whose plane has landed, the arrival area is the relevant one, even though you personally arrived at the building from the city.
국제선 refers to international flights and 국내선 to domestic flights. These words classify the flight or service. The noun 공항 names the whole airport, so knowing the airport name does not always tell you which part of the building you need.
터미널 means “terminal”. At a large airport, a meeting plan needs more detail than the airport name alone. A terminal, a floor and a clearly identified exit or meeting point make it much easier for two people to find each other.
Airport Combinations beyond the Building
공항철도 means “airport railroad”. The final part 철도 tells you it is rail transport. 공항 버스 names bus transport instead. Seeing 공항 at the start tells you what the service connects with, while the following noun tells you how you travel.
공항 픽업 means an airport pickup, as in an accommodation or transport message. The loanword 픽업 describes being collected. Check the meeting place in the message; the expression alone does not name a particular exit or guarantee that someone will meet you inside the terminal.
Related Words for Finding Your Way
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 출발 | departure | Look here for outbound travel. |
| 도착 | arrival | Useful when meeting an arriving passenger. |
| 터미널 | terminal | Identifies a particular airport building or section. |
| 정류장 | bus stop | The place to board a bus. |
The airport vocabulary lesson expands these sign words. Use the airport phrases for complete requests when asking staff for help.
Quick Self-Test
- Which form means “to the airport” with 가요: 공항에 or 공항에서?
- Are you looking for 출발 or 도착 when meeting an arriving friend?
- Does 공항철도 name a bus service?
Show answers
- 공항에.
- 도착, arrivals.
- No. 철도 identifies rail transport.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "airport" in Korean?
Say 공항 (gonghang).
What are Korea's best-known airports called?
인천공항 (Incheon), the main international airport near Seoul, and 김포공항 (Gimpo), which handles mostly domestic flights.
What is the difference between 공항 and 항공?
공항 is the airport itself. 항공 refers to air travel as a field.
How do you say "airport bus"?
공항 버스, the bus that runs between the airport and the city.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Travel words groups 공항 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 공항 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the travel list is the word for currency exchange. See the page for currency exchange.
- Compare with the page for station.
- Compare with the page for airport phrases.
- Compare with the page for airport vocabulary.