Key Facts
- Hangul: 안경; Revised Romanization: angyeong
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: sino-korean (眼鏡 (眼 eye + 鏡 mirror))
- Register: Neutral everyday word; sunglasses are 선글라스 (loanword).
Glasses in Korean: What Does 안경 Mean?
안경 is a neutral everyday word. Sunglasses have their own loanword, 선글라스, so plain 안경 points to corrective glasses. Korean treats a complete pair of glasses as one item. 안경 needs no plural ending when the number is already clear.
How Do You Pronounce 안경?
Say an-gyeong. The ㄴ at the end of the first syllable flows straight into ㄱ, which is pronounced softly here as g. The second syllable gyeong ends in the ng sound, like the end of "song".
Example Sentences with 안경
저는 안경을 써요.
Jeoneun angyeongeul sseoyo.
I wear glasses.
The habitual sentence "I wear glasses". 써요 is the polite present of 쓰다, the verb for items worn on the face.
안경이 어디에 있어요?
Angyeongi eodie isseoyo?
Where are my glasses?
A question about location, with 어디에 asking "where". English "my" is simply left out.
새 안경을 사고 싶어요.
Sae angyeongeul sago sipeoyo.
I want to buy new glasses.
Expresses a wish. 사고 싶어요 means "want to buy", and 새 before the noun means "new".
Common Phrases and Collocations
The verb paired with 안경 tells you whether someone puts glasses on or takes them off. The noun compounds name the frame and the shop.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 안경을 쓰다 | to wear glasses |
| 안경을 벗다 | to take off glasses |
| 안경테 | glasses frame |
| 안경점 | optician's shop |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: 안경을 입다, using the verb for wearing clothes.
Correct: 안경을 쓰다, the same verb as for hats; taking them off is 안경을 벗다. A complete pair counts as one item in Korean.
안경 Compared with Similar Words
선글라스 is tinted sunglasses. 렌즈 is a lens, and contact lenses are 콘택트렌즈 or just 렌즈. An optician's shop is 안경점. The material glass is a different word; see glass in Korean.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 안경 | glasses | This page's word |
| 선글라스 | sunglasses | Tinted glasses for the sun; 안경 alone means corrective glasses. |
| 렌즈 | contact lens / lens | Contact lenses are 콘택트렌즈 or 렌즈. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
안경 is Sino-Korean, written 眼鏡 (眼 eye + 鏡 mirror), literally an "eye mirror".
Trying Frames in an Optical Shop
A customer has chosen a frame and asks to try it on. The assistant offers a second frame after the first feels too large.
Customer
이 안경 써 봐도 돼요?
I angyeong sseo bwado dwaeyo?
May I try these glasses on?
Assistant
네, 써 보세요.
Ne, sseo boseyo.
Yes, please try them on.
Customer
조금 커요. 더 작은 안경테 있어요?
Jogeum keoyo. Deo jageun angyeongte isseoyo?
They’re a little big. Do you have a smaller frame?
Assistant
네, 이건 어때요?
Ne, igeon eottaeyo?
Yes, how about this one?
써 보다 means to try wearing something on the head or face. The customer asks permission with 써 봐도 돼요, then names 안경테 to discuss the frame size. At this stage, the conversation is about fit rather than a lens prescription.
Wearing, Removing and Cleaning Glasses
안경을 쓰다 can describe putting glasses on or wearing them. The present example 저는 안경을 써요 usually describes the habit: “I wear glasses”. 안경을 쓰고 있어요 makes the current state explicit, meaning someone has glasses on now. A description of a person in a photograph may use this longer form.
안경 쓴 사람 means “the person wearing glasses”. 쓴 comes before 사람 to identify which person you mean. Although 쓴 has the shape of a past modifier, the phrase can describe someone whose glasses remain on. The useful meaning is the visible result of putting them on.
안경을 벗다 means to take glasses off, and 안경을 닦다 means to wipe or clean them. 벗다 changes whether they are on your face; 닦다 concerns the surface of the glasses. These are literal everyday combinations, so their verbs give you more practical value than a rare idiom would.
안경에 김이 서리다 means that glasses fog up. Here 김 means steam or vapour, rather than the seaweed 김 found in 김밥. The expression describes condensation on the lenses. You may hear it when someone enters a warm room from outside or leans over hot food.
What Does 안경 Include?
안경 names the complete wearable item. 안경테 is the frame, and 안경알 is a lens in the glasses. If the frame feels narrow or the lenses need cleaning, using the part name makes the problem clearer. 렌즈 can also mean a lens, with the exact meaning supplied by the conversation.
English requires the plural-looking “glasses” even for one item. Korean 안경 has no obligatory plural ending. When you need a quantity, 안경 한 개 is one pair of glasses and 안경 두 개 is two pairs. You count each complete item, rather than its two lenses separately.
Signs and Situations to Recognise
안경점 is an optical shop. Shop signs may also show 안경 on its own beside a business name. Inside, 안경테 identifies frames, while a display of 선글라스 is for sunglasses. Seeing the shared shop setting does not make all the products the same item.
A 시력 검사 is a vision test. The phrase helps you recognise what service is being discussed, but 안경 itself does not tell anyone your prescription. For a repair or adjustment, pointing to the frame and naming the problem is more useful than repeating the general word for glasses.
안경 is neutral in both shop conversations and descriptions of people. Politeness comes from the sentence around it. You can ask a shop assistant a polite question while using the same noun you would use with a friend.
Parts and Accessories to Learn Next
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 안경테 | glasses frame | The part you compare for size and shape. |
| 안경알 | eyeglass lens | The transparent part inside the frame. |
| 안경집 | glasses case | Stores the complete glasses when you remove them. |
| 안경닦이 | glasses cloth | Used for wiping the lenses. |
The clothing and accessories lesson places 안경 among other things people wear and helps you choose the right wearing verbs.
Quick Self-Test
- Which verb means to wipe glasses: 벗다 or 닦다?
- What part does 안경테 name?
- Does 안경 한 개 mean one lens or one complete pair of glasses?
Show answers
- 닦다. 벗다 means to take them off.
- The frame, rather than the lenses or the complete item.
- One complete pair of glasses.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "glasses" in Korean?
Say 안경 (angyeong).
Which verb means "wear glasses"?
Use 쓰다, as in 안경을 쓰다, never 입다.
How do you say "take off glasses"?
Say 안경을 벗다.
What is the word for sunglasses?
It is 선글라스, a loanword for tinted glasses.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: daily life clothing vocabulary groups 안경 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add it to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Another thing worn on the body is on the page for hanbok.