Key Facts
- Hangul: 시청; Revised Romanization: sicheong
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 市廳 (市 city + 廳 office)
- Register: Neutral. Also names the Seoul subway station 시청 near Seoul City Hall.
City Hall in Korean: What Does 시청 Mean?
시청 is a city hall, the main administrative office of a city. It is the building where residents hand in documents and where the city government works. The tone is neutral. The same word also names the Seoul subway station near Seoul City Hall, so you will hear it in directions as well.
How Do You Pronounce 시청?
시청 has two syllables: si-cheong. The ㅊ is aspirated, written ch, and the vowel ㅓ is written eo in Revised Romanization. The final ㅇ is the ng sound, as in the English word "song".
Example Sentences with 시청
시청은 어디에 있어요?
Sicheongeun eodie isseoyo?
Where is city hall?
어디에 is "where", and 있어요? turns the sentence into a question about location.
시청 앞에서 만나요.
Sicheong apeseo mannayo.
Let's meet in front of city hall.
앞에서 means "in front of", and 만나요 here is a suggestion, "let's meet". A landmark building like 시청 makes an easy meeting point.
우리는 시청에서 서류를 냈어요.
Urineun sicheongeseo seoryureul naesseoyo.
We submitted documents at city hall.
서류 means documents, and 냈어요 means "submitted" or "handed in".
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 서울시청 | Seoul City Hall |
| 시청역 | City Hall station |
| 시청 직원 | city hall employee |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 시장 for the city hall building
Correct: ✓ 시청
Why: 시장 means the mayor or a market, depending on context. The building is 시청.
시청 Compared with Related Words
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 시청 | city hall | The word on this page. |
| 구청 | district office | The local office of a district inside a city, while 시청 serves the whole city. |
| 시장 | mayor / market | A person or a place to shop; the city hall building is not 시장. |
Your district paperwork goes to the 구청, but the city-wide offices sit in the 시청, and the 시장 works there.
Where Does the Word Come From?
시청 is Sino-Korean, written 市廳 in hanja: 市 (city) plus 廳 (office).
Checking a Meeting Place
Two friends are arranging to meet near city hall. One checks which entrance the other means.
Alex
시청 앞에서 만날까요?
Sicheong apeseo mannalkkayo?
Shall we meet in front of city hall?
Jisu
시청역 출구 앞이요?
Sicheongnyeok chulgu apiyo?
In front of an exit at City Hall station?
Alex
아니요. 시청 건물 앞이요.
Aniyo. Sicheong geonmul apiyo.
No. In front of the city hall building.
Jisu
알겠어요. 세 시에 봐요.
Algesseoyo. Se sie bwayo.
Got it. See you at three.
시청 앞 and 시청역 출구 앞 are different meeting places. 건물 means “building,” so Alex adds it to remove the ambiguity. In the short answers 앞이요?, the speaker checks a place without repeating the whole question. This is useful when a landmark and a station have related names.
Phrases for Directions and Appointments
시청에 가다 means to go to city hall. 에 marks the destination. 시청에서 만나다 means to meet at city hall: 에서 marks where the meeting happens. The building name stays the same, but the marker tells you whether someone is traveling there or doing something there.
시청 앞 means in front of city hall, and 시청 근처 means near city hall. 근처 gives a general area; it does not identify a doorway. If you arrange a meeting with either phrase, add a building entrance or another visible landmark when the exact spot matters.
시청 직원 means a city hall employee. 직원 names someone who works there, while 시장 can identify the mayor. An employee mentioned in a conversation is not automatically the mayor. Likewise, 시청 can refer to the city administration as an organization, even when no one is discussing the physical building.
시청 홈페이지 means the city hall website. In a phrase like this, 시청 identifies which organization the website belongs to. A sentence about an announcement on that site may therefore translate naturally as “the city government” rather than a statement about a building.
Where Will You See 시청?
City maps, building signs and direction boards use 시청 as a destination. A city name before it identifies which city's hall is meant, as in 서울시청. Without that city name, the local setting usually supplies the reference. The word itself is not limited to Seoul.
On transport signs, 역 adds “station,” so 시청역 points to a station rather than an office counter. 출구 means exit. If someone gives you a station exit as a meeting point, keep that exit information with the name; saying only 시청 can lose the detail that makes the directions useful.
Inside an administrative building, 안내 means information or guidance, and 민원실 names a public service office. These signs help you describe where you are going inside the building. They do not by themselves tell you which office handles a particular document. 시청 and 구청 identify different levels of local administration.
Another 시청 You May Recognize
시청 also has a separate meaning: watching television or video. In that sense, 시청하다 means to watch and 시청자 means a viewer. A phrase about a broadcast or a video can therefore contain 시청 without referring to city hall at all. The two words share their Hangul spelling and sound.
Building words such as 건물 and 직원 support the city hall meaning. Viewing words such as 영상, “video,” support the watching meaning. This is another reason to read the phrase around 시청 instead of translating the syllables in isolation.
Words for Finding Your Way
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 건물 | building | Clarifies that you mean the physical city hall. |
| 출구 | exit | Useful when meeting at the station. |
| 안내 | information / guidance | Appears on direction and information signs. |
| 민원실 | public service office | Names a place for public inquiries and administrative requests. |
The city vocabulary lesson teaches other landmarks you can use in directions.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 시청역 mean the city hall building?
- Which marker fits meeting at city hall: 시청에 or 시청에서?
- Does 시청자 mean a city hall employee?
Show answers
- No. 역 identifies a station.
- 시청에서, because the meeting happens there.
- No. It means a viewer and belongs to the watching sense of 시청.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "city hall" in Korean?
City hall in Korean is 시청 (sicheong), a neutral noun for the city government building.
How do I ask where city hall is?
Say 시청은 어디에 있어요?
What is 시청역?
It is City Hall station, the subway stop near Seoul City Hall. Seoul City Hall itself is 서울시청.
What is the difference between 시청 and 구청?
시청 serves a whole city, while a 구청 is the office of one district inside it.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Around the City groups 시청 with its neighbours.
- Index: find city hall beside every other single-word entry in Korean words A to Z.
- See also building.
- See also market.