Key Facts
- Hangul: 치과; Revised Romanization: chigwa; pronounced [치꽈]
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 齒科 (齒 tooth + 科 department)
- Register: Neutral; 치과 names the clinic or specialty, and a dentist is 치과 의사.
Dentist in Korean: What Does 치과 Mean?
치과 is the dental clinic or the dental department, not the person. When you say you are going to the dentist, you are really saying you are going to the clinic, and that is exactly what 치과에 가다 means. The tone is neutral. The dentist as a person is a 치과 의사 (a dental doctor).
How Do You Pronounce 치과?
치과 has two syllables: chi-gwa. The ㅊ is aspirated, written ch. In standard pronunciation the ㄱ of the second syllable is tensed, so the word is said [치꽈]. RR does not show this kind of tensing, so it still writes chigwa.
Example Sentences with 치과
치과에 가야 해요.
Chigwae gaya haeyo.
I have to go to the dentist.
가야 해요 means "have to go", and 치과에 marks the clinic as the destination.
치과가 무서워요.
Chigwaga museowoyo.
I am afraid of the dentist.
무서워요 means "it is scary", so the sentence tells us the speaker is afraid of the dentist.
치과 예약을 했어요.
Chigwa yeyageul haesseoyo.
I made a dentist appointment.
예약을 했어요 means "made a booking", and 치과 예약 is the dentist appointment.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 치과에 가다 | to go to the dentist |
| 치과 의사 | dentist (person) |
| 치과 치료 | dental treatment |
| 치과 예약 | dentist appointment |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 치과 for the dentist as a person
Correct: ✓ 치과 의사
Why: 치과 names the clinic or specialty, as in 치과에 가요. The person who treats you is a 치과 의사.
치과 Compared with Related Words
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 치과 | dentist (dental clinic) | The word on this page. |
| 치과 의사 | dentist (person) | The person, a dental doctor. |
| 이 | tooth | The body part itself. |
| 충치 | cavity | A decayed tooth, often the reason for a visit. |
You go to the 치과 to see a 치과 의사 about a 충치 in your 이.
Where Does the Word Come From?
치과 is Sino-Korean, written 齒科 in hanja: 齒 (tooth) plus 科 (department).
Checking in at a Dental Clinic
A patient arrives for an appointment and tells the receptionist about a painful tooth. The exchange keeps the booking and the symptom separate.
Patient
안녕하세요. 오늘 예약이 있어요.
Annyeonghaseyo. Oneul yeyagi isseoyo.
Hello. I have a dental appointment today.
Receptionist
성함이 어떻게 되세요?
Seonghami eotteoke doeseyo?
May I have your name?
Patient
김민수예요. 이가 아파요.
Gim Minsuyeyo. Iga apayo.
I am Kim Minsu. My tooth hurts.
Receptionist
네. 잠시 앉아서 기다려 주세요.
Ne. Jamsi anjaseo gidaryeo juseyo.
Of course. Please have a seat and wait a moment.
예약이 있어요 means “I have an appointment”. The receptionist then asks for the patient's name with 성함, a respectful word for “name”. The patient answers with a name and adds 이가 아파요, “my tooth hurts”. 이가 is 이, tooth, plus the subject marker 가. It is not the word for the whole dental clinic.
The final line asks the patient to wait. 잠시 means “a moment”, and 앉아서 기다려 주세요 is a polite request to sit and wait. These are words you may hear before meeting the dentist, so recognizing them helps you follow the sequence at reception without confusing the receptionist with the person treating you.
Phrases for Appointments and Treatment
치과 예약 means a dental appointment. 예약을 하다 is to make a booking, and 예약을 취소하다 is to cancel one. The noun 치과 identifies the kind of appointment; the verb says what you are doing with it. You can discuss booking or canceling without yet naming a procedure.
치과 진료 refers to dental care or a dental consultation. 진료를 받다 means receiving medical care, while 치료를 받다 means receiving treatment. 받다 literally means “receive”, so the patient is the person receiving the service. 치과 치료 is the dental treatment itself, not the title of the professional who provides it.
치과에 가다 names the destination, while 치과에서 치료를 받다 names where treatment happens. 에 answers “where to?” with a motion verb. 에서 locates an action. This explains why the earlier sentence 치과에 가야 해요 uses 에: it is about having to go to the clinic.
Where You Will See 치과
Look for 치과 on building signs, floor directories and clinic websites. A name ending in 치과의원 identifies a dental clinic. 의원 here refers to a clinic; it does not mean a politician, even though that unrelated Korean word has the same spelling. The full sign gives you the context.
Inside, 접수 labels reception or registration, and 대기실 labels a waiting room. Neither word means the dentist's treatment room. A receptionist may ask about your booking before you discuss tooth pain with the dentist. Learning these words alongside 치과 helps you follow the visit from the entrance onward.
When talking to the dentist, 선생님 is a common respectful way to address them. 치과 의사 identifies their profession when you are talking about them. You usually would not call out 치과 to get their attention, because it names the clinic or specialty. The distinction between a place and a person affects both directions and introductions.
Tooth Words That Make a Description Clearer
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 이 | tooth / teeth | The everyday word in 이가 아파요. |
| 치아 | tooth / teeth | A more formal term seen in dental explanations. |
| 잇몸 | gums | Identifies the tissue around the teeth. |
| 어금니 | molar / back tooth | Helps locate a problem toward the back of the mouth. |
| 앞니 | front tooth | Distinguishes front teeth from back teeth. |
The health and medicine vocabulary lesson teaches the wider clinic vocabulary. For describing pain, these body-part words tell the listener where you feel it. They are more precise than naming the whole clinic, and they do not require you to know the cause or the treatment needed.
Quick Self-Test
- Which names the person: 치과 or 치과 의사?
- In 치과에 가야 해요, what does 에 mark?
- Which word names the gums rather than a tooth?
Show answers
- 치과 의사. 치과 names the clinic or specialty.
- The destination: the dental clinic.
- 잇몸.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "dentist" in Korean?
The dental clinic is 치과 (chigwa). The dentist as a person is 치과 의사.
How do I say "I have to go to the dentist"?
Say 치과에 가야 해요.
How do I say "dental treatment"?
The words are 치과 치료. A dentist appointment is 치과 예약.
Why does 치과 mean the clinic?
The hanja 齒科 means tooth department, so the word names a specialty and the place where it is practised.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Health and Medicine groups 치과 with its neighbours.
- Index: find dentist beside every other single-word entry in Korean words A to Z.
- See also pharmacy.
- See also tooth.