Key Facts
- Hangul: 아파트 (apateu)
- Meaning: apartment, apartment complex
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: loanword
- Register: neutral; usually a high-rise apartment block
- Level: A1
Apartment in Korean: What Does 아파트 Mean?
아파트 has two senses: a single apartment, and an apartment complex. It is a neutral loanword. In Korea 아파트 usually means a unit in a high-rise block, often part of a large complex. A flat in a small low-rise building is a 빌라, and a single-room rental unit is a 원룸.
How Do You Pronounce 아파트?
The Revised Romanization is apateu. There are three syllables, and the last vowel is the closed ㅡ sound. Korean drops the English ending -ment, and no syllable is stressed the way English stresses -part-. Play the headword, then the three examples.
How Do You Use 아파트 in a Sentence?
저는 아파트에 살아요.
I live in an apartment.
jeoneun apateue sarayo. 아파트에 marks the place with 에, and 살아요 means live. The sentence is the standard way to say where you live.
이 아파트는 지하철역에서 가까워요.
This apartment is close to the subway station.
i apateuneun jihacheollyeogeseo gakkawoyo. 가까워요 means close, and 지하철역에서 means from the subway station. This is the type of sentence used in housing ads and when giving directions.
우리 아파트는 십 층이에요.
Our apartment is on the tenth floor.
uri apateuneun sip cheungieyo. 십 층이에요 means it is on the tenth floor. 십 is a Sino-Korean number and 층 is the floor counter.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 아파트에 살다 | to live in an apartment |
| 아파트 단지 | apartment complex |
| 아파트 경비원 | apartment security guard |
| 아파트 값 | apartment price |
아파트 단지 is the complex as a whole, 아파트 경비원 is the security guard who works there, and 아파트 값 is the price. 아파트에 살다 is the everyday verb phrase.
Housing in Everyday Talk
Large apartment complexes, called 아파트 단지, are the most common type of housing in South Korea, and apartment prices are a frequent topic of everyday conversation. That explains why 아파트 값 shows up in the collocations: it is a phrase you will hear in news and in small talk.
Common Mistake
Mistake: saying 아파트먼트 or stressing the word as in English. Correct: 아파트, three syllables (a-pa-teu) with flat stress and no English ending.
How Does 아파트 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How to tell it from 아파트 |
|---|---|---|
| 빌라 | villa (low-rise multi-unit housing) | 빌라 is a small low-rise block, different from a large 아파트. Think of a four-storey building versus a tower of many floors. |
| 원룸 | studio apartment | 원룸 is a studio apartment, a single-room rental unit. It describes the size of the unit, while 아파트 describes the type of building. |
Finding a Friend’s Building
A visitor has reached an apartment complex but needs to find the right building. The resident gives the building and unit numbers.
Visitor
아파트 입구에 있어요.
Apateu ipgue isseoyo.
I am at the apartment complex entrance.
Resident
어느 동 앞이에요?
Eoneu dong apieyo?
Which building are you in front of?
Visitor
백일 동 앞이에요.
Baegil dong apieyo.
I am in front of Building 101.
Resident
맞아요. 삼백이 호로 오세요.
Majayo. Sambaegi horo oseyo.
That’s right. Come to Unit 302.
The resident uses 동 for a building and 호 for a unit. Building 101 and Unit 302 identify different parts of the address. The visitor has already named the complex, so the remaining task is finding the correct entrance and home inside it. The polite ending 오세요 makes the last line an invitation to come.
How Do Apartment Addresses Work?
아파트 can refer to a home, a building or the wider complex, depending on the sentence. A complex may contain several numbered buildings. In a written address, 101동 identifies the building and 302호 identifies the unit. Check both parts when visiting someone or reading delivery instructions.
층 means floor. It answers a different question from 동: a floor is a level inside a building, while 동 distinguishes one building from another. A unit number may suggest a floor, but the actual address and elevator signs are the useful guide. Avoid guessing a friend's floor from the complex name alone.
우리 아파트 literally includes 우리, “our,” but a speaker may use it for the place where they personally live. It does not imply that the listener lives there too or that the speaker owns the whole block. This is a common way to refer to one's own apartment community.
Signs and Phrases around the Complex
관리사무소 is the management office. You may see the word on a building directory or in a notice telling residents where to ask about shared facilities. 경비실 is the security office or guard post. 아파트 경비원 names the person; 경비실 names the place.
아파트 단지 means the apartment complex as a site, including its buildings and shared grounds. A reference to the 단지 입구 points to the entrance to that site, which may still be some distance from a particular unit. This distinction matters when meeting a taxi or a visitor.
층간 소음 means noise between floors. In a resident notice, it usually concerns sound traveling between homes above and below one another. The phrase names the problem directly, without implying a particular cause or accusing a particular neighbor.
News about 아파트 값 concerns apartment prices. The housing word alone does not tell you whether someone rents or owns their home. Likewise, 아파트에 살다 only says where someone lives; it does not state their financial arrangement.
Words You Need after 아파트
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 동 | building / block number | Distinguishes towers within a complex. |
| 호 | unit number | Identifies the home inside a building. |
| 층 | floor | Locates a level inside the building. |
| 관리사무소 | management office | A place to ask about building administration. |
| 경비실 | security office | The office associated with the guards. |
The home vocabulary lesson covers the wider housing set. For a visit, keep the complex name, building number and unit number together; 아파트 on its own rarely identifies a destination precisely enough.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 우리 아파트 mean the listener lives there too?
- Which unit identifies a building: 동 or 호?
- Does 아파트에 살다 say whether someone owns their home?
Show answers
- No. It can mean the apartment complex where the speaker lives.
- 동 identifies the building; 호 identifies the unit.
- No. It only says that the person lives in an apartment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 아파트 Mean Any Apartment?
Not quite. It usually means a unit in a high-rise block. A flat in a small low-rise building is usually a 빌라, and a one-room rental is a 원룸.
How Do I Say I Live in an Apartment?
Say 저는 아파트에 살아요.
What Is an Apartment Complex Called?
Use 아파트 단지. It is the most common housing form in South Korea.
Should I Say 아파트먼트?
No. Korean uses the clipped form 아파트, without the English ending.
Where to Go Next
For more home words, open the daily life home vocabulary list or browse Korean words A to Z. A traditional Korean heating system is covered in the underfloor heating entry.