Key Facts
- Hangul: 미용 (miyong)
- Meaning: beauty (grooming and cosmetics); hairdressing and beauty care
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean
- Register: neutral to slightly formal; the loanword 뷰티 is trendier in marketing
- Hanja: 美容 (美 beautiful + 容 appearance)
- Level: B1
Beauty in Korean: What Does 미용 Mean?
미용 is the trade and practice of caring for appearance. The best-known place name built on it is 미용실, the hair salon. Products and schools use it too: 미용 제품 for beauty products, 미용 학원 for a beauty academy. Marketing prefers the loanword 뷰티, which sounds more fashionable. For beauty as loveliness, as in a beautiful view, Korean uses 아름다움 or the single syllable 미. English beauty covers more than 미용 does.
How Do You Pronounce 미용?
미용 is mi-yong. The y in 용 is a quick glide, so the vowel is yo plus ng. Before the vowel-initial marker 에 the ㅇ stays with 용, giving miyonge as in the first example. Nothing in the word is tensed. In 미용실 (miyongsil, hair salon) the ㅅ stays plain as well.
How Do You Use 미용 in a Sentence?
언니는 미용에 관심이 많아요.
My older sister is very interested in beauty care.
eonnineun miyonge gwansimi manayo. 언니는 미용에 관심이 많아요 says my older sister is very interested in beauty care. 언니 is what a woman calls her older sister, and 많아요 means is a lot.
미용 제품을 사러 갔어요.
I went to buy beauty products.
miyong jepumeul sareo gasseoyo. 미용 제품을 사러 갔어요 says I went to buy beauty products. 사러 갔어요 combines buy with go, giving the purpose of the trip.
그는 미용 일을 해요.
He works in the beauty business.
geuneun miyong ireul haeyo. 그는 미용 일을 해요 says he works in the beauty business. 일 here means work, so 미용 일 is beauty work.
Common Word Combinations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 미용 제품 | beauty product |
| 미용 기술 | beauty skills |
| 미용 학원 | beauty academy |
| 미용에 관심이 있다 | to be interested in beauty care |
미용 제품 is a beauty product, and 미용 기술 means beauty skills. 미용 학원 is a beauty academy, and 미용에 관심이 있다 is to be interested in beauty care. The last phrase mirrors the first example, with 에 marking the thing of interest.
Common Mistake
Mix-up: Using 미용 for beauty as in being beautiful.
Instead: 미용 is grooming and care. For beauty itself, say 아름다움 or 미.
A beautiful view is not 미용; a hair appointment is.
How Does 미용 Differ from Similar Words?
| Word | Meaning | How it differs from 미용 |
|---|---|---|
| 뷰티 | beauty (loanword) | The trendy loanword, common in marketing. |
| 아름다움 | beauty; loveliness | Beauty as a quality of things and people. |
| 미용실 | hair salon | The place where 미용 services are given. |
Talking about a Beauty Academy
Two friends pass a school advertising beauty training. The conversation is about learning a trade, which makes 미용 more precise than the broad English word “beauty”.
Mina
여기는 무슨 학원이에요?
Yeogineun museun hagwonieyo?
What kind of academy is this?
Jisu
미용 학원이에요.
Miyong hagwonieyo.
It is a beauty academy.
Mina
머리 자르는 것도 배워요?
Meori jareuneun geotdo baewoyo?
Do they teach hair cutting too?
Jisu
네. 저도 미용을 배우고 싶어요.
Ne. Jeodo miyongeul baeugo sipeoyo.
Yes. I want to study beauty care too.
미용을 배우다 means to learn beauty-care skills. It does not mean learning to be a beautiful person. 학원 is a private academy, and the word before it identifies what is taught. 미용 학원 therefore describes the school's subject, while 미용실 names a place that provides hair services.
How Do Common 미용 Phrases Narrow the Meaning?
미용 기술 means beauty-care skills or techniques. 기술 refers to practical skill here: cutting hair or carrying out a beauty treatment. It does not necessarily mean technology or an electronic device. In a course description, look for the particular service after the broad heading 미용.
미용 목적 means “a cosmetic purpose”. 목적 is purpose, so the phrase explains why something is done. 미용 목적으로 means “for cosmetic purposes”. You may see it in a product or service description where appearance is the goal. The phrase tells you the purpose; it does not tell you which treatment or product is involved.
피부 미용 means skin care for appearance. 피부 is skin, and adding it before 미용 narrows the field. This is a noun combination rather than an idiom. The same habit of reading the first noun as a category helps with 미용 제품: the phrase identifies products used for beauty care.
Where Will You Hear or See 미용?
미용실 on a street sign usually points to a hair salon. Even though 미용 has a wider meaning, the place word has this familiar, more specific use. Inside, service names such as 커트, “haircut”, identify what a customer can book. Asking for 미용 alone would leave the service unclear.
Training advertisements use 미용 학원 and 미용 기술 because they concern professional skills. Shopping pages may use 뷰티 as a broad category heading and 화장품 for cosmetics. A bottle of foundation is 화장품; a hairdressing tool can belong to the wider category of beauty-care products without being a cosmetic.
You may also see 애견 미용 on a sign for dog grooming. 애견 identifies dogs in this service context. That compound is a useful reminder that 미용 concerns grooming and appearance care; it is not a compliment about how lovely a dog looks.
Which Word Fits a Compliment?
For a beautiful scene, 아름다움 names the quality of beauty and 아름답다 describes something as beautiful. 미용 would point toward grooming or a beauty-care activity instead. In a shop, however, 미용 can describe the business category without praising a product or person at all.
The noun 미용 is neutral. Its slightly formal feel comes from appearing in industry, training and service descriptions. A friendly conversation about studying 미용 is still natural, as the dialogue shows. There is no need to switch to 뷰티 simply because you are speaking rather than writing.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 미용사 | hairdresser; beautician | Names the professional rather than the workplace. |
| 화장품 | cosmetics | A narrower product category than beauty care overall. |
| 피부 | skin | Narrows 미용 to skin care in 피부 미용. |
| 커트 | haircut | A specific service you can request at a salon. |
The beauty vocabulary lesson brings the product and grooming words together for shopping and appointments.
Quick Self-Test
- Which names a place to get your hair done: 미용실 or 미용 학원?
- What does 기술 refer to in 미용 기술?
- Would 미용 be the usual word for the beauty of a mountain view?
Show answers
- 미용실. A 미용 학원 teaches beauty-care skills.
- Practical skills or techniques used in beauty care.
- No. 아름다움 names beauty as a quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does 미용 Mean?
It means beauty care, such as hairdressing, skin and nails.
Is 미용 the Same as 뷰티?
Close, but 뷰티 is a trendier loanword used in marketing. 미용 is the older, plainer word.
How Do I Say Beauty Products?
Say 미용 제품.
How Do I Say a Hair Salon?
Say 미용실.
Where to Go Next
For related beauty words, open the beauty vocabulary list or browse Korean words A to Z. Next, see the word for hair salon, and review the set in the vocabulary flashcard decks.