Key Facts
- Hangul: 등 (deung)
- Meaning: back (of the body), spine side of the torso
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native Korean
- Register: neutral everyday body word
- Level: A1
Back in Korean: What Does 등 Mean?
등 has two closely related senses: the back of the body and, more precisely, the spine side of the torso. It is a native Korean noun and a neutral everyday word. 등 is also a homonym: the same spelling covers lamp, "etc." and rank. Only the body-part sense is covered here, so when you meet 등 in print, look at the words around it.
How Do You Pronounce 등?
The Revised Romanization is deung. A final ng sound closes the syllable, as in English song. In the first example the particle 이 follows, and the ng carries straight into it: deungi apayo, said deung-i apayo. Play the headword, then each example.
How Do You Use 등 in a Sentence?
등이 아파요.
My back hurts.
deungi apayo. 등이 is the subject, and 아파요 reports the pain. The same pattern works for any body part: swap in the word for arm and you have My arm hurts.
아이가 엄마 등에 업혀 있어요.
The child is carried on its mother's back.
aiga eomma deunge eopyeo isseoyo. 엄마 등에 means on mother's back, with 에 marking the place. 업혀 is the passive of carrying on the back, and 있어요 shows the child is still being carried. The sentence shows the cultural picture of a child riding on a parent's back.
등을 펴세요.
Please straighten your back.
deungeul pyeoseyo. 등을 marks the back as the object, and 펴세요 is the polite honorific request to straighten. It is what a teacher or a trainer says about posture.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 등을 돌리다 | to turn one's back (on) |
| 등이 굽다 | to have a hunched back |
| 등에 업다 | to carry on one's back |
등을 돌리다 is both literal and figurative: it means to turn one's back, and it is also used for turning away from someone. 등이 굽다 describes a hunched back, and 등에 업다 is the action that produces the scene in the second example.
Common Mistake
Mistake: using 등 for back as a position, as in behind the house.
Correction: a position is 뒤 (back, behind); 등 is only the body part.
Second trap: because 등 has unrelated meanings (lamp, "etc.", rank), a bare 등 on its own tells you little. The spine-side sense is the one that goes with 아파요, 펴세요 and 업다.
How Does 등 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How to tell it from 등 |
|---|---|---|
| 뒤 | back/behind (position) | 뒤 is a position meaning back or behind. Use it for the back of a room or a house, never for your own spine. |
| 허리 | lower back/waist | 허리 is the lower back or waist, while 등 is the upper or whole back. Lower-back pain is usually 허리, not 등. |
Describing the Sore Area after Carrying a Bag
Two friends stop during a walk. One friend has a heavy bag and points out where their back hurts.
Mina
등이 아파요?
Deungi apayo?
Does your back hurt?
Alex
네. 가방이 너무 무거워요.
Ne. Gabangi neomu mugeowoyo.
Yes. The bag is too heavy.
Mina
허리도 아파요?
Heorido apayo?
Does your lower back hurt too?
Alex
아니요. 어깨 아래가 아파요.
Aniyo. Eokkae araega apayo.
No. It hurts below my shoulders.
허리도 asks whether the lower back hurts as well: 도 adds “too.” The answer narrows the location to 어깨 아래, below the shoulders. 등 gives a broad body area; a nearby body word and a position word can help you explain the exact spot.
Literal Backs and Turning Away from Someone
등을 돌리다 can describe physically turning your back. In a story about a friendship or a falling-out, the same phrase can mean rejecting someone or withdrawing support. Look for the people and events around the phrase: a movement in a room suggests the literal reading, while a broken relationship suggests the figurative one.
등을 펴다 means to straighten your back, and 등을 기대다 means to lean your back against something. The first changes your posture; the second describes resting against a support. These are useful in exercise instructions and everyday talk about sitting. The object marker 을 follows 등 in both.
등에 업다 starts with the literal image of carrying someone on your back. The child is supported on the carrier’s back, which explains 에, the location marker. Compare the existing passive example 업혀 있어요: it describes the child’s state of being carried rather than the adult’s action of carrying.
Where Will You Hear 등?
A trainer may use 등을 펴세요 when asking someone to straighten their posture. A person describing discomfort may use 등이 아파요 and then point to the affected area. The noun 등 is neutral in both situations. The ending in 펴세요 makes the instruction polite; there is no special honorific replacement for this body-part noun.
In a written list, 등 after several items often means “and so on.” That use is unrelated to the body. In an exercise description, nearby posture or movement words make the body sense more likely. Reading the entire phrase helps more than translating every occurrence of 등 as “back.”
Nearby Body Words
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 어깨 | shoulder | Use it for the area above the upper back. |
| 목 | neck | Names the part above the shoulders. |
| 허리 | waist / lower back | More precise when the discomfort is low down. |
| 척추 | spine | Names the spinal column rather than the whole surface of the back. |
The body vocabulary lesson gives the wider set. Keep 등 and 허리 together when learning locations: English “back” can cover both, while Korean often chooses the more specific word for the area being discussed.
Quick Self-Test
- Which word means “behind” as a position: 등 or 뒤?
- What can 등을 돌리다 mean in a story about a friendship?
- What does 도 add in 허리도 아파요?
Show answers
- 뒤. 등 names the body part in this lesson.
- To reject someone or withdraw support, as well as literally turning one’s back.
- “Too” or “also”: the lower back hurts as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 등 the Same as 뒤?
No. 등 is the body part and 뒤 is a position meaning behind or rear.
What Is the Difference between 등 and 허리?
허리 is the lower back or waist, while 등 is the upper or whole back.
Does 등 Have Other Meanings?
Yes. The same spelling also means lamp, "etc." and rank; only the body-part sense is covered here.
How Do I Say My Back Hurts?
Say 등이 아파요. The marker 이 follows 등 because the word ends in a consonant.
Where to Go Next
For more body words, open the people body vocabulary list or browse Korean words A to Z. The previous word in the sequence is the Korean word for arm, the next is the Korean word for ear, and the position word is behind in Korean.